


The Chains Bonding You

by choosinghope



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: (prisoner of war), Alpha Victor Nikiforov, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Kidnapping, Knight Viktor, M/M, Omega Katsuki Yuuri, Prince Katsuki Yuuri, Slow Burn, Viktor hunts dragons, Yuuri gets kidnapped by Viktor to be a POW, Yuuri is also in an arranged marriage, also, and like 22 yr old Viktor, basically they might/might not fall in love, bc their kingdoms are currently at war, he's also the best knight in his kingdom actually, imagine cute 18 yr old Yuuri, probably angsty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-29 18:56:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 48,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15079550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/choosinghope/pseuds/choosinghope
Summary: Katsuki Yuuri (18) is having the time of his life celebrating his engagement to Tokugawa Leyasu of the Daimyo Empire when he finds himself quickly overwhelmed by the intensity of the celebrations. He retires himself to his bedchambers where he readies himself for bed. Before he was able to rest for too long, he is startled by a figure slamming a blade through his blankets too close to his head for comfort.He is given two choices: scream and die, or be silent and allow himself to be taken





	1. November 12, 1424

Midnight, November 12th 1424, Eastern Europe, Kolechia-Enkyo border  


Freezing. Viktor could see his breath in the air. Snow hadn’t fallen, but the temperature was enough to chill his bones through the insulated layer of his silver, metal armor.  


An army of thirty men on horseback stood behind him, ready to charge at any given moment, at the drop of a pin, right when Viktor would say so.  


His eyes were glued on the castle ahead. The tallest tower held his assigned goal that he would complete without fail, ordered by the King of his land.  


Find the neighboring Prince. Abduct. Return alive with Prince. No setbacks, no leeway. Do as told.  


And Viktor wasn’t known to let down any of his orders.  


Viktor flipped the visor on his helmet down over his eyes and kicked the ankle plate of his armor against hide. Yanking up on the reigns, his horse bucked up with a whinny and began galloping forward. Thirty horses and their men chased behind him.  


His heart was pounding in his chest. The thrill of impending danger always gave him an adrenaline rush.  


He yanked the reigns up, and his horse leapt over the deep moat. Quietly, as not to draw attention to them, the soldiers stationed and kept watch outside of the stone castle. Viktor clipped a torch to his side and stood up on his horse’s saddle. He swung a grappling hook and launched it up, tugging on it once it latched onto the side of the castle.  


As soon as he got up there, he’d need to act quickly.  


Viktor jumped off of his horse and grabbed onto the rope, using the leverage to climb up the rope and to the top. The window was easy to break in, and once he jumped inside the lavish room meant for royalty, he unsheathed his sword and approached the sleeping figure on the bed.  


“Katsuki Yuuri, Prince of Enkyo,” Viktor began, placing his foot on the opposite side of the sleeping prince and stabbing his sword into the bedding. “Do not scream. Do not draw attention. You will be taken as a prisoner of war without complaint or you will be killed, do you understand?”

The night of November 12th had been filled with endless events in the Enkyo Empirical Castle. Not only were they beginning the celebrations for the birth of their Prince, Katsuki Yuuri, but they were also celebrating his engagement to Tokugawa Leyasu of the Daimyo Empire.  


Though the Prince was just shy of nineteen years of age, he was far past that of the expected mating age for a typical omega, which was sixteen. Of course arranging a marriage for the beautiful young prince had been far too easy; it was not even a week after sending word to the neighboring kingdoms that the Emperor was offering up the hand of his only omega son for marriage, before they had received three proposals, one of which was now the Prince’s fiance and soon to be bond mate.  


The whole ordeal had been completely overwhelming for the omega, so after pressing gentle kisses to the cheeks of his parents, he had retired himself to his bedchambers, citing that the excitement of the party had drained him, and that it was best if he took an early rest.  


Since he had left so early, Yuuri didn’t bother with searching for the guards which usually guarded his chambers. With so many people in the castle, it was highly unlikely something would happen, besides there was no way anyone could enter the private royal chambers anyways, so Yuuri calmly changed into his nightdress before relaxing into his nest.  


It must’ve been around an hour or so later, Yuuri had been blissfully asleep when he was violently awoken by a sword being stabbed into his bedding. Before he had the chance to scream, he had been warned that such actions would be met only by death, so Yuuri snapped his mouth shut and silently stared up at the shadowed figure in complete fear.  


“Y-Yes…” He responded softly, unable to tear his eyes off the figure who held his life in his hands. Unable to bring himself to do anything except stare, Yuuri finally broke himself out of the silence by carefully clearing his throat. “W-Where am I going? How did you get in here?” Yuuri tried his best to not think about how a strange alpha was in his nest, when no alpha had ever seen it before, and how said alpha was now looming over his body. 

Viktor let out a relieved sigh when the omega below him obeyed the threat and made no move to run or scream. Slowly, he withdrew the trapped position he held the omega in and pointed toward the unhinged window with the tip of his sword. “Windows are easy to maneuver,” Viktor responded smoothly.

He didn’t like having this figure of royalty under his jurisdiction with such fear in his eyes. But he had to follow through with what he was ordered.

“You’re coming back to Kolechia with me. You will be taken as captive until Enkyo recognizes the East Grestin border as Kolechian territory and surrenders the Haihan river as well. All of this will be relayed to your family, and you will be killed if not compliant with our demands. Do you understand?”

Viktor didn’t like being this harsh nor aggressive with the gentle, frightened omega below him. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Because of this, Viktor definitely would not kill him.

Scare tactics worked, they’d found.

“I apologize for breaking and entering without permission, and I apologize for the intrusion of your nest. But I assure you, we will provide all of this and more for you while you’re in captivity.”

The armored alpha’s face wasn’t visible under his helmet, but his blue eyes shone through the vents when he gently hooked an arm under Yuuri’s back and legs to lift him over his shoulder.

“Don’t wiggle around or you’ll fall to your death. Fair warning,” Viktor laughed, keeping his grip firm around Yuuri as he hopped down from the window ledge and grabbed hold of the rope with one hand.

“Stay still.”

Within a moment’s notice, Viktor had easily tossed the prince and allowed him to fall down, down, down, and into several other knights’ arms. Viktor climbed back down and jumped back onto his horse, taking Yuuri back into his arms and holding him still while he grabbed the reigns and speared the hide.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?!” A guard belonging to the current territory shouted. Several of the knights following on horseback stayed a bit behind to fend off any guards that might come after Yuuri while Viktor got away with the prince, directing his horse back to his familiar castle.

“Your guards aren’t very quick, are they? We’ve already crossed the border back to Kolechia and they’re just now realizing they’re missing their prince.” Viktor commented over his shoulder, jerking the reigns on his horse.

The knight had asked Yuuri for some form of confirmation for the reasons why he was currently being taken hostage. Of course Yuuri understood the political reasons, well, he tried his best considering that omegas were viewed as something fragile, so his knowledge of such things was pretty limited.  


But for the most part, Yuuri very much understood that the best way to get a country to surrender something was to take a high valued asset, in this case Yuuri, and hold the young prince’s life above the heads of the emperor and empress.  


While Yuuri knew his parents loved him deeply, he wasn’t entirely sure that they would surrender the lands to the Kolechian people. The Haihan river was where the majority of the agriculture for the Enkyo Empire was produced. Without those lands, the empire would very quickly lose not only its main source of food, but a major source of income. Of course Yuuri kept all of this to himself, there was no way he was going to speak his mind to this alpha just yet. Yuuri had heard horror stories about Kolechia, about how unmated omegas were auctioned off to the highest bidder, and how outspoken omegas were beat into submission, so he was not about to pick a wild card and hope for the best, for now he would just play the obedient omega and do as told.  


Then Yuuri was being dropped from the window of his tower, and while he had been told not to scream, he was so certain that he was going to die on impact, that he couldn’t help but let out a terrified scream, immediately bursting into tears; but the deadly impact never came, and instead, Yuuri had been caught by a group of knights that had somehow managed to keep him from collision. The next seconds passed faster than Yuuri could process, the alpha who had invaded his bedchambers had climbed down from his tower, and then suddenly Yuuri was being placed in his arms once the other was on horseback.  


Finally, some miles past into the Kolechia border, Yuuri found enough courage to ask the question that had been burning in the back of his mind.  


“W-Who are you?”


	2. Chapter 2

Moonlight shone above and reflected off of Viktor’s armor. The only thing that brought his presence to attention to anyone was the torch’s illumination attached to the horse’s knapsack.

Viktor thought about a response.

He was well known across the continent as the most successful and skilled knight belonging to Kolechia. He’d been offered bribes from other kingdoms who wanted to claim him as their own, but he was too faithful to his own country and the crown. Viktor loved where he was stationed and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. Kolechia was where he belonged, and he’d continue to fight for them until his last breath.

“The man who is stealing you from your home. Why? Are you trying to get to know your captor?” Viktor teased, an amused snort sounding from underneath his helmet.

“Nikiforov.”

Soon enough, they approached a large overarching chained fence. The guards on lookout allowed him entrance as well as the few catching up soldiers behind him. Viktor’s horse trotted across the bridge and through the familiar village until they approached the lavish castle made of strong stone and marble. He hopped off of the horse and several workers hurried to bring it to the stable while Viktor grabbed hold of Yuuri and slung the prince over his shoulder.

“Not very respectful of me to carry you like this, sorry. But I’ve got to make sure you don’t try to escape.” Viktor laughed. So far, Yuuri was very compliant, so he didn’t suspect the omega would try to get himself killed any time soon.

Viktor carried Yuuri inside and approached the throne where the king sat expectantly.

“Good job, Viktor. You never disappoint. Take him to the chamber.” Yakov spoke gruffly. A sense of gratitude was left onto Viktor when the king approved of his job well done.

The knight nodded and carried Yuuri up a flight of stairs until they reached the top floor and the omega was placed on a bed in a secluded room with no windows and only two doors; one leading to the bathroom and one to the entrance.

“You will stay in this room until your family relents. Who knows how long that will be. I’m sorry, I can’t do anything about it. I’m just doing what I was told to. Now I’m in charge of guarding you primarily to make sure you don’t try to do anything drastic.” Viktor moved to light the fireplace in front of the bed to provide for light and warmth. He took his helmet off and shook his head, allowing his hair and face to catch some of the fire’s heat.

Yuuri couldn’t help the huff of annoyance that slipped through his lips. Who did this stupid alpha think he was to act all high and mighty with his smart ass words? Yuuri barely listened to the rest of what was spoken, barely registering when the other had given his name.

Nikiforov.

Well that sure rang a bell. Of course Yuuri knew who that was, he would be stupid if he didn’t. Yuuri had heard stories of how incredibly brave Nikiforov was, and how he had slain eight dragons in the last year! Yuuri had once thought that Nikiforov was different than all the other alphas, but having him be the very same alpha that was kidnapping him. The same alpha to break into his bedchambers and wreck his nest, and to see him in his nightgown none the less! Well Yuuri’s thoughts were certainly far from praising as they once had.

When they had arrived at the castle, after nearing the steps to the palace, Nikiforov had swung Yuuri over his shoulder, and immediately Yuuri felt flushed with embarrassment. 

Why would he hold Yuuri like this?!

Yuuri was in his nightgown, what if someone else were to see him?!

Or god forbid look up his dress… Yuuri felt moments away from fainting, so when he was finally placed on the bed, Yuuri immediately covered his body up with the old scratchy blanket, wanting to keep as much of his body hidden as possible.

After Nikiforov told him he would be staying here, Yuuri had opened his mouth to protest, but then his helmet was being removed, and Yuuri found himself flushing, this time for a whole different reason, and quickly shut his mouth, before recollecting his thoughts.

“I would like something else to wear, I will not allow such disgusting alphas the pleasure of viewing my body, and as a proper omega, it is unbecoming for me to have allowed so many alphas to see me in my night dress.”

Viktor looked at Yuuri as if he were speaking a completely different language.

“Disgusting?” Viktor pursed his lips in a pout. “As a matter of fact, I don’t think I’m disgusting at all. I take good care of myself, actually. I’m not some dirty street rat.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m a knight, not your personal servant. There are some clothes in the closet.” Viktor pointed toward the door on the opposite side of the room. “You have legs, and I’m sure you can use them.”

Perhaps it was rude to treat royalty in this manner, but really, Yuuri was a prisoner at the moment. He was still held in high standards obviously, but he wouldn’t be treated like the ground he walked on was paved of gold while he was staying here. Maybe once Yuuri’s family heard that he wasn’t being treated as if he were a god and more like a normal human being, they’d become upset and be more inclined to take him back at any cost.

Viktor began to strip himself of his armor and was left in his everyday clothes underneath. He went to place the metal in his own personal room which was across the hall from Yuuri’s, then he came back to watch over the omega for the time being until the prince would eventually fall asleep.

“It’s the middle of the night, why are you trying to change into regular clothes, anyway? It’s not like you’ll be going anywhere. Just stay in your nightgown and try to sleep. You’re handling being captured very well, I must say, though. Are you sure you’re not going to try and escape?”

At the mention of a closet, Yuuri’s eyes briefly flickered over to the wardrobe that was attached to the wall.

It was awfully small, and whatever was held in there would most certainly not fit Yuuri. Everything around him was so overwhelming.

In the past five years, ever since Yuuri had presented, there had not been a day that Yuuri did not sleep in his nest. So to not only have that sense of comfort ripped away from him, but to be miles upon miles away from his kingdom, the ever looming threat of being touched by anyone present on his mind constantly, Yuuri felt like he was only a breath away from breaking down into tears.

Is this was distress felt like?

Yuuri had never experienced an omega in distress before, and it honestly felt like the world was ending; but he didn’t want Nikiforov to see his weakness, so he stood himself up from the bed, and crossed the room to the wardrobe to find something to wear.

“I do not plan on sleeping in this room for the duration of my stay. It would be unwise for me, an unmated omega, to sleep in an unguarded room where any alpha could enter and have their way. I would much rather stay awake and dressed until my father sends his men.”

Yuuri told himself that tonight would be the only night he stays. His father would gather troops, storm the castle, and bring Yuuri safely home, where he could watch the execution of Nikiforov and his men safely from his chair next to his father’s throne.

Though as much as he tried to comfort himself, a small voice told him that he was likely to stay here much longer than he thought he would.

It was a terrifying thought, so Yuuri tried his best to not pay it much mind.

“In fact, I would much prefer if you would leave me to be. Your presence is unsettling, and I do not want you to watch me dress, though such barbarous eyes would probably love to watch an omega dress.” He sneered the latter half of his sentence, sending what he hoped was his worst glare.

Viktor scrunched his face up. “You’re not going to sleep while you’re here? That doesn’t sound very smart. You’ll die of exhaustion eventually. You must sleep sooner or later. Besides, who knows when your father will send soldiers. Might as well get your sleep to keep your energy up, right?”

The alpha had only known Yuuri for a short amount of time and he was already becoming tired of his superiority complex and ridiculous logic.

He couldn’t do much but shoot an incredulous look at the omega when he accused him of doing such things.

“Wh — why are you automatically assuming I’m some perverted alpha? I’m not as scummy as you think I am! Is it just because I’m an alpha? Because I assure you, your attitude is enough to turn any potential lover away.”

Even if Yuuri did possess a very cute face.

“I’m not supposed to leave you until later. I can turn around, or you can go into the bathroom. Do whatever you feel most comfortable with, prince.” Viktor said the last word in a mocking tone.

He could already tell this entire thing was going to end up harder than he had expected.

Yuuri turned his gaze away from the alpha, focusing his attention back on the wardrobe in front of him. The vast majority of the contents of the closet were horrendous.

It was very obvious that all of these dresses had been castaways from the noble omegas, and none of them were of present either. They were from the late 1390s to the early 1400s, and not only that but the fabrics were very scratchy as well.

He ended up settling for a pale green dress with a maroon overcoat, only because he knew the colors would compliment him, and let out a huff as he walked past Nikiforov.

“I’m assuming you’re perverted because you stole me out of my bed in my night clothes, and you carried me in such a fashion that you exposed much of my body! Not even my betrothed has seen my nightdress, and already too many alphas have seen my body, and my neck! I am of high class, I have always worn a lace choker, so as to not only protect myself from attack, but also because it is proper, but yet as I have looked, there is nothing to cover my neck, so pardon me if I am uncomfortable with having my body susceptible to attack.”

Yuuri had never been one to be angry or short with people, so even though this alpha was his kidnapper and captor, he felt the need to apologize, but refrained because he knew that only by showing strength would he be protected.

“Besides, there is no need for me to attract potential lovers, because I am already bespoken to Tokugawa Leyasu of the Daimyo Empire, and we are to be married next month, and it will be a grand celebration, AND he will be here within the week to rescue me. He is a rather strong alpha, and I trust he will bring my salvation.”

Giving one final glare at Nikiforov, Yuuri stepped into the washroom, and slammed the door behind him.


	3. November 12th (sometime around 3 a.m.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Just so everyone understands, the reason Yuuri refers to Viktor as only 'Nikiforov' is because he doesn't know his birth name (first name), he only knows of his family name (his last name)._
> 
> _Also, thank you so much! I love reading the comments, and I would really appreciate it if you guys would let me know what you would like to see in the future!_

Viktor stared at Yuuri in utter disbelief. The assumptions that the omega dispelled from his mouth didn’t fail to get on his nerves, even if he knew almost all of them were severely incorrect.

“Don’t worry, _prince_ , I assure you that nobody will try to mark your neck when you have such an openly bitter attitude.”

He rolled his eyes and sat back in the comfortable chair across from the bed. Viktor curled his legs up and warmed himself in front of the fireplace, almost instantly regretting agreeing to kidnap and guard Yuuri. Of course he knew the omega would be upset, but who knew he would be so sour and snappy.

Maybe it was due to the lack of sleep. Perhaps Yuuri was just cranky.

Viktor hoped he’d be in a better mood after he rested.

And literally, he couldn’t get the thoughts out of his mind. Did Yuuri seriously think that Viktor was so weak that he couldn’t control himself upon seeing an omega in a nightgown? In a nest? That wasn’t even the reason he had broken into the castle in the first place!

He hadn’t even heard of this dumb alpha that Yuuri was supposedly betrothed to in the first place. Viktor could easily just fight him off. Even a fool wouldn’t trespass into Kolechia unless he had a death wish.

Viktor wished there was a way he could roll his eyes even further into the back of his head.

So when Yuuri came out of the restroom fully dressed, Viktor was surprised that he had managed to look innocent even if he had such an abrasive mood all the time. He wished he was still wearing his helmet so Yuuri wouldn’t notice the slight dusting of pink on his cheeks.

Back home in Enkyo, Yuuri had an omega group of ladies who would help him dress every morning, so to be forced to dress himself for once, well it was a completely stressful ordeal, and by the time Yuuri had tightened the corset, he felt completely exhausted and in distress, and knew he needed to sit somewhere to recover.

Yuuri opened the bathroom door, and smoothened out the skirt of the dress before he finally walked back into his _bedroom_ (it was more like a prison cell, actually, that was exactly what it was), avoiding looking at the alpha.

Since he had been stolen directly from slumber, Yuuri had none of his fancy dance slippers or heels which had become a staple of his daily wardrobe ensemble. It also made him significantly smaller without having the heels to bring him up to nearly the height of most alphas, and it made him feel quite intimidated, especially since, as he had learned, Nikiforov towered over him.

Picking up the skirt in one hand so it would not drag against the floor, Yuuri crossed over to a wooden chair that was clear across the room from Nikiforov, and sat himself down, legs crossing before he gave a glance over at the alpha.

That was another thing that quite bothered Yuuri, because he had been of such high status, Yuuri never referred to someone by their family name, he had always referred to those around him by their given names, since speaking of others by their family name was something one did to their superiors, and well, Yuuri didn’t have any superiors since he was the Prince of Enkyo. Apparently his status meant nothing to Nikiforov, because Yuuri was only given his family name, and not his birth name, which he supposed had been done on purpose to agitate the young omegan prince.

“I’m very confused as to why you have decided to remain in my prison cell, perhaps you would like to enlighten me?” Yuuri inquired, a slight sarcastic overtone barely lacing his voice. “I mean, I would tell you to go home to your mate, but based on how my only experience with you is being abducted from the safety of my nest, I believe it is safe to say you are without any real company.”

Satisfied at how he had been obviously pissing off the alpha, Yuuri couldn’t help but preen happily, feeling very pleased and content.

Viktor found it a shame that this prince had such a pretty face yet such a pretentious attitude. He wouldn’t expect anything else, though, from someone who was so high up in the royalty ranks. All heirs to the crown were stuck up and rather rude to anyone who wasn’t on the same level as them.

With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, wondering why in the world the omega wouldn’t just lay in the bed and go to sleep.

“…I wasn’t the one to decide I needed to stay in your room. Trust me, I’d rather not be here in the first place.” Viktor snorted. “I’m just doing what I was ordered to. It’s not like I want to be in the same room as a brat.”

And then Yuuri just kept pushing it with his smart comments.

Viktor positively bristled.

“Jesus, maybe I shouldn’t wait for your family to come get you. I’m about ready to just catapult you back to your castle.” The alpha sneered, frowning at the prince across from him. “Why are you acting like I chose to do all of this?! I’m just following orders! Honestly, it’s a surprise that you even have a mate! I don’t understand how anyone could even handle you for more than five minutes!”

Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have gotten so worked up over Yuuri’s meaningless comments.

“What do you want me to do? Bend down and kiss your delicate —“ he said the word with mock lavishness to his voice, “feet? This is like a new kind of torture!”

Viktor groaned and stood up to poke at the fire to avoid having to look at Yuuri.

Though Yuuri understood and was well aware that he was very much being a tool, having anger fully directed at his own self, had been a great surprise.

He had put up a massive wall between his emotions and his thoughts in order to keep himself from breaking down, and he should have anticipated that by provoking the alpha would only lead to him snapping at Yuuri, but he had been so focused on himself that he simply did not think about it.

Yuuri’s gaze very quickly found it’s way to the floor, and felt himself mentally crashing.

He went very quiet and found his legs uncrossing as he loosely wrapped his arms around himself submissively.

Yuuri really didn’t want to say anything to the alpha anymore, anger was terrifying, and the only thing worse than that was an angry alpha, and Yuuri had seen what happens to omegas when alphas get too angry at them, and he was having the sudden revelation that being a brat might not be the best thing for him to do.

Now feeling much more upset than before, Yuuri’s worries of appearing weak were returning much stronger, and discreetly wiped at any welling of wetness in his eyes, and forced in his scent to hide any give-a-ways of his distress.

The worst part was, that Yuuri wasn’t even able to make himself a nest as comfort.

There were no blankets other than the thin one on the mattress, and plus there was nowhere Yuuri felt safe enough to hide one.

“I would like some water please.” He said softly after a moment, figuring it would give him a little time to be alone if the alpha was gone, even if it was only a minute.

Okay, now Viktor felt bad about what he had said.

Yuuri was scared. He was just a scared omega and he had tried to put up harsh boundaries in the form of sour attitude to deter anyone from trying to mess with him. The omega was just trying to feel safe.

Viktor knew he shouldn’t have said what he did, but maybe it had gotten through to Yuuri that behaving so defiantly wouldn’t make his stay here any easier on himself.

“I apologize. Even if you aren’t considered royalty here, that wasn’t any way for me to treat an omega.”

The alpha stood up and gave Yuuri a small apologetic bow of his head before exiting the room to retrieve some water for the prince.

A moment later, Viktor returned with a metal flask filled with clean water. He handed it to Yuuri and returned back to the chair he had been sitting in.

“I’m sorry for this whole predicament. I assure you, I wasn’t too keen on the idea that I’d have to go and kidnap someone. I’m a skilled knight, not a captor. I don’t like knowing that people will soon look down on me for just following my orders.”

Viktor was the most trustworthy and skilled knight in all of the lands. Almost everyone had heard of him. From slaying dragons to deterring entire armies, he was often sought after by suitors who wanted him on their side. But he was loyal to his kingdom, and disobeying wasn’t something he would be too interested in doing.

“Please try not to think too poorly of me, Yuuri. I’d like for your stay here to not be miserable for both of us.”

Yuuri had kept his gaze strictly on his lap.

The apology came as a great surprise, though he didn’t really pay it much thought. Then out of the corner of his head, he watched as the alpha gave him a small bow of the head, before leaving the room.

The door had been locked once Viktor left, not that Yuuri minded much, he had already accepted that he was a prisoner, so the locking of the door didn’t mean much.

As soon as he was alone, Yuuri couldn’t help but subconsciously letting out his scent.

He had been keeping his distress in ever since Nikiforov had stolen him from his nest, so as to not let the alpha know how terrified and weak Yuuri felt.

Once Yuuri realized he let out so much of his scent, he panicked and hurriedly closed himself off once more, hoping the smell would disappear from the air, even though he knew it wouldn’t work.

Moments later the other returned with a flask of water, and Yuuri gladly accepted it into his hands, and took a rather long sip.

Yuuri wanted to tell Nikiforov that he used to think so highly of him, but he was afraid to say much of anything anymore outside of simple responses, so he just gave a small nod.

It was a little annoying that the other wanted to make sure Yuuri was comfortable.

How comfortable was he supposed to be when literally anyone had access to his prison room?

Not only that, but there was nowhere for a nest, which was the main source of an omegas comfort, so Yuuri was forced to internalize everything, which he knew would inevitably blow up on him.

“I think I might retire myself to sleep, who as access to this room?” Yuuri chewed nervously on his lip as he awaited a response.


	4. November 12th (3a.m. to around 11:30a.m.)

Viktor could smell the worry on Yuuri. The omega was very obviously trying to hide his scent, but the alpha could pick it up almost immediately. That instinct inside of him kicked up and he wanted to eliminate Yuuri’s stress, but he had to remind himself that Yuuri was supposed to be stressed. He was a prisoner, so he would feel this way indefinitely.

“I and two others. There’s only three copies of the key.”

The alpha untucked the necklace around his neck to show Yuuri the iron key that hung from the chain.

“Don’t worry, it’s not anyone who would ever come here to hurt you. I can’t specifically tell you who, but one is a guard and the other is a servant. You’ll meet them eventually.”

Viktor stood up and stretched. He supposed he should try and rest as well. A knight always needed to be energized in the case of an attack.

“There’s a window in the door that you can yell from if you need anything. My room is right across from yours, so feel free to call for me.”

The alpha opened the door and locked it behind him.

Soon, his own fireplace was burning just as Yuuri’s was.

Viktor found himself staring at the ceiling instead of sleeping once he had changed into his nightclothes. His brain just didn’t want to turn off.

Sooner or later, his consciousness began to drift.

Yuuri was unsure of whether Nikiforov was lying about the number of copies of keys, but he couldn’t see why the alpha would lie, so he allowed himself to find comfort in the limitation of the keys.

Then Nikiforov retired himself to his bedroom, and Yuuri found solace in the silence.

He let his eyes trail across every inch of the room, trying to memorize his surroundings. He mostly did it out of boredom, but also because this was the first time he would be alone for any extended amount of time, and actually had a chance to look around.

Yuuri took another sip of water, relaxing against the wooden chair.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but it was long enough for Yuuri to finish the flask of water, so he fastened the top, then placed it on the small circular table next to the chair he was resting in.

He then stood, and grabbed his dress as he crossed over to the fireplace.

Yuuri had never had to manage his own fire before, so he nervously reached for a log before quickly tossing it in, yelping out of fear when he felt something from the log prick his hand.

Pouting deeply, Yuuri licked off the blood that seemed from the small scratch, and made his way back over towards the bed where he sat himself down.

Now that he was relaxing, his exhaustion was finally catching up to Yuuri, so he unbuttoned the thin maroon overcoat before slipping it off.

Yuuri set it atop the same circular table (placed between the wooden chair he’d been previously sitting in, and the bed), and then turned onto his side and curled up tightly on the mattress, not bothering with the blanket since it’s thin scratchy material would only have made him uncomfortable if he tried covering himself with it.

Viktor awoke much earlier than the other royal members of the castle. Even if he were a knight, he was at such a high rank that the castle and the kingdom looked up to him and admitted him to stay in such a lavish reserve. So when roosters began crowing outside, the alpha was awoken from his short slumber and urged to get ready for the day.

By the time Yuuri was brought his breakfast of Tvorog and berries over bread, the alpha had just gotten done with his morning rounds of patrolling the premises and relaying any activity to the king.

Suddenly, there was the sound of scratching claws outside of Yuuri’s door.

Heavy footsteps soon followed the sound and a questioning voice spoke softly. The door was clicked open, and a brown, fluffy dog soon bounded inside of the room and sniffed around the premises.

Viktor lifted his helmet off and watched the poodle hop up onto the bed and smell Yuuri.

“Sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He was whining until I let him in. Maybe he smells another dog on you? Ah, Makkachin! Behave!” Viktor scolded, shutting the door behind him and going over to pick the dog up off of Yuuri once he had started to lick the omega’s face.

“He wouldn’t stop until I let him in. He’s not a very good hunter yet, are you?” Viktor laughed, dropping Makkachin back onto the floor.

“Sorry. He just wanted to explore, I think.”

Yuuri had slept through until morning, well at least he thought it was morning, because a servant had entered his room with a wooden tray filled with his breakfast. It wasn’t very much, and it certainly didn’t look too appetizing, but his stomach still growled expectingly, so Yuuri reluctantly consumed what was placed on the circular table next to his bed.

The fire was also dead by now, and the room had an eerie chill to it that quickly cleared the cloudiness from his mind.

Then he had heard a scratching at the door, which at first was alarming.

Yuuri had thought that it was demons, or something sent to torture him.

Not much longer later, the jingle of a key in the lock could be heard before the door was pushed open, and a rather large brown down barreled into the room before pouncing onto Yuuri’s bed.

He hadn’t even noticed Nikiforov entering until the other had spoken, pulling the dog away as he apologized.

Having been engrossed in the sweet presence of the dog, Yuuri was definitely startled, and any calmness he had been previously feeling zipped away, and Yuuri scrambled to grab the maroon over coat to hurriedly pull on, since he only had the green dress on, which revealed too much of his chest for comfort around an alpha, let alone his captor.

“He’s okay, don’t scold him, he wasn’t hurting me…” Yuuri kept his eyes firmly on the brown fluff after he finished fastening the buttons on his overcoat, still too nervous to look at the alpha since he had gotten angry with him.

“And no, I do not own any animals, the last had been an exotic dog when I was a small child, but he was rather old and passed the year before I presented.”

Viktor gave Makkachin a squeeze and got a face full of licks in response. “He’s old enough to know things, but he’s still one of the worst hunters I’ve ever seen,” the alpha laughed. He scratched the poodle’s fur behind his neck and under his collar.

“And how long ago was that? When you presented and he passed, I mean.”

The chance to hopefully grow a better start with Yuuri was presented before Viktor. No way in hell had he ever expected the omega to open up and share more about himself quite so soon, and it seemed to be a shock to the omega when he realized who he was talking to.

They’d had a really rough start, and Viktor wanted to fix that. He didn’t want to be the scary alpha that omegas were warned about. He didn’t want humans to be afraid of him; he wanted only their respect and for them to trust him to defend their kingdom.

“Nikiforov, enemy approaching! We need you out here, stat!” Someone outside of the room yelled, breaking the moment he had been trying to share with Yuuri.

“…Please excuse me. Sorry for the intrusion, too. Makkachin, come!” Viktor walked to the door and unlocked it, standing outside and expecting the poodle to follow.

But the dog just stayed put right in Yuuri’s lap, giving Viktor a doe-eyed look.

“…I’ve got to go. You can stay with Yuuri just this once, okay?”

Makkachin began wagging his tail happily as if he understood every word the alpha just said. Without further ado, Viktor closed and locked the door behind him. The sound of his metal armor clinking could be heard and faded out the further he got from the room.

Yuuri couldn’t help the small glare he gave when Nikiforov inquired about his date of presentation.

He was still on such high alert that answering such questions still felt like an intrusion of his life.

“Well I presented quite later than most omegas typically do, three years ago when I was fifteen.”

He ended up deciding to give the alpha an answer anyways, though Nikiforov did not get a chance to answer, because moments later his presence was demanded, which brought a huge relief to Yuuri.

Petting Makkachin gently, Yuuri couldn’t help the smile that slipped onto his lips when the dog refused to leave with Viktor.

Once the door was locked shut, Yuuri leaned back against the wall, letting his eyes fall shut as he scratched the head of the fluffy dog.

Makkachin was a comforting presence for Yuuri, and he found it very easy to allow himself to relax now that Nikiforov was gone, and he had a hunting dog (even if he wasn’t very good) protecting him.

A few minutes passed, and Yuuri was overwhelmed with a feeling of intense boredom.

With a small sigh, Yuuri slid his legs off the side of the bed, and walked half circles around his bed. Having no window was dreadfully irksome, and also made it feel as if time were passing languidly.

And what was this of an attack that someone had shouted at Nikiforov?

Yuuri couldn’t help but feel hopeful.

Maybe this was his father coming to save him.

Instead of rushing back onto the ground where Viktor would normally be charging the enemy, for this particular case, he was needed on top of the observatory deck on the very top of the castle.

With a controlled fire right next to him, the rest of the knights on guard on the ground, and sharpened arrows in his quiver, Viktor felt the urge of adrenaline pulling through his veins. He couldn’t get enough of the feeling; of being brave, of fighting evil and showing his strength.

Much like a typical alpha, right?

There wasn’t a lot to know about dragons. Except when they carried either fertilized or unfertilized eggs with them, they would always tend to fly if their anatomy permitted it. Walking on ground was too much of a risk to their offspring.

And when they flew over the kingdom, threatening to set flame to the structures and brush…

The only response was to show them what fire could really do.

Leftover dragon’s oil was coated over the sharp arrows, and held over the fire to be lit. Viktor positioned one in his bow, keeping an eye on the target as it moved overhead, aiming for its larynx…

One shot, and there was silence. Silence until a shrill roar sounded and a large object came plummeting down into the ground. The weight shook the kingdom and its buildings, and Viktor smiled down at the workers below who quickly got to work harvesting the dragon’s valuables.

Pacing around in the room, Yuuri eagerly awaited his rescue. He was so sure that his father had sent men to save him.

As the minutes passed, Yuuri was growing nervous.

Then Yuuri heard the roaring of a dragon, and immediately his eyes widened, and he rushed under the bed to find somewhere to hide.

Whimpering softly, Yuuri did as he had always been told, and found himself curled up as he covered his head with his arms.

He had never seen a dragon before, but he had seen the destruction they caused, and it terrified him.

Some time passed, Yuuri wasn’t sure how long it was because he was cowering in fear, but the room shook violently for a few seconds, which made Yuuri absolutely terrified, forcing him to release a distressed scent, an instinct he couldn’t hold back since he felt like he was in danger.

While in the middle of slicing the defeated dragon’s oil sac out of its gut, Viktor caught scent of something troubling through the iron scent of blood and the burning scent of ash. The other workers were shucking the scales off and quickly taking anything useful they could from the beast.

Viktor quickly plucked one of the iridescent scales and tucked it away in his pocket. Two large eggs were extracted and handed to Viktor to carry away due to their heavy weight.

Soon enough, the alpha was on his way to Yuuri’s room where the worried scent emanated from.

And strangely, the omega was nowhere to be found.

“ _Damn._ ”

Had he somehow snuck away?! Viktor set down the eggs to the side and frantically began checking around the room, moving things here and there, kneeling down to check under the bed

—

A pair of wide eyes stared right back at him. The scent was strongest here, too.

“Oh god,” Viktor laughed, standing back up once more. The blood smeared across his armor had begun to dry. “I thought you’d escaped! What are you doing under there?”

Yuuri was overwhelmed by the metallicy scent of blood.

He had thought that someone had come into his room to bring him out to the dragon, but then the blanket was being lifted over the side of the bed, and Yuuri was brought face to face with Nikiforov.

Never had he been more relieved to see his captor.

But of course that relief didn’t last very long, because Nikiforov was laughing at him, mocking him for hiding underneath the bed.

Well Yuuri definitely didn’t exactly want to come out, now that he felt like crying again. Turning over to face away from the alpha, Yuuri crawled out the other side of the bed, and moved to sit up, brushing the dirt and dust off his dress.

“I… I thought it was going to kill me, and my mother always told me that since I was an omega and weaker than everything else, that it’s best to hide in the face of danger, and the dragon, I… I’ve seen what they could do, and I couldn’t exactly flee the castle, so the safest place was under the bed. I mean it sort of worked because you didn’t find me at first.”

Yuuri stood from the floor, only to find himself being smothered in wanted attention from Makkachin.

“Oh puppy, I’m sorry, I should have brought you with me, but I knew you would protect me.” He cooed softly, bending over to scratch his head.

Viktor waved his hand. “It’s very unlikely that a dragon would get anywhere near our kingdom unless flying overhead like this one. We wouldn’t let them get closer than a few feet from the border. We’re very advanced in the defense department,” he smiled, seemingly pleased with himself. “Our kingdom is very organized. We have the best knights and hunters in the world.”

The alpha shrugged. “I mean, don’t you think your mother shouldn’t have told you to live in a world of fear? Not everything is after you. Omegas are not inherently weak, you know. One of my strongest soldiers is an omega.”

He watched Yuuri cuddle and coo over Makkachin. Having a dog around — even if not very useful in the hunting department — definitely made a difference in stress levels.

“Oh! I have something for you. I know you might get bored and stuff up here, so I thought you could make something out of this or maybe just use it to decorate? I don’t know what potions could be made with it, but you’re not a witch anyway, so I don’t expect you to whip anything out of it…”

Viktor dug around in one of his armor’s inner pockets until he found the large, iridescent dragon scale. Being almost the size of the alpha’s entire hand, it definitely had a weight to it. He handed it over to Yuuri.

“It’s almost like a mirror, huh? Have you ever even seen a dragon in person?”

Yuuri found it incredibly hard to believe that it was that easy for the Kolechia to defeat a dragon, but then again if they trained all their nights exactly as they trained Nikiforov, then it really wasn’t that surprising that their military force was as strong as the alpha claimed it to be.

Yuuri frowned, holding Makkachin close in his arms as he listened to Viktor.

“Well, I’m not quite sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m quite a small omega. Twice have there been attempts on my life, and I can understand if omegas here are stronger, but in Enkyo, our race is much smaller, and therefore more vulnerable to attacks. My mother is only worried because she does not want me hurt.”

Yuuri was annoyed with the alpha again, but he was quickly distracted when a rather large scale had been pulled out from one of the pockets in Nikiforov’s armor.

Hesitantly reaching to grab the scale, Yuuri examined it up close, and upon seeing his reflection, grimaced.

Oh dear god did he need to bathe…

“Hm? Oh, oh yes, it works awfully well as a mirror, though I wish it didn’t because my reflection is unsightly. I suppose it would be fun to craft with, and as for spells, I do not have any study books with me, so it is useless in that department. If you wouldn’t mind supplying me with decorations, then I could fill my time designing a gift for my fiance. He gifted me a rather large ring, I suppose I should get him something in return, other than my innocence of course.”

Viktor couldn’t help but allow his face to twist up in a grimace when Yuuri mentioned his fiancé. He knew it was an arranged marriage and all, but seriously, why was he so pleased about that? Being forced into a loveless relationship didn’t seem very pleasurable at all, and Viktor would never understand why someone would be in one without fighting against it first. And he truly didn’t understand how Yuuri could talk so openly about his fiancé like this while in captivity.

The alpha let out an amused snort. It sounded like Yuuri was trying to brag or prove something to Viktor when he went on about all of the lavish gifts his fiancé had provided him with, and all of the things he’d bless his fiancé in return with.

“Your innocence is not something I’m particularly interested in, nor am I concerned with your choice of who to deliver it to.”

The knight didn’t know why he had bothered with gifting Yuuri this dragon scale if he wasn’t going to keep it for himself in the first place. He had meant to give it to Yuuri, not his fiancé.

But something in him told him he needed to find things for Yuuri to entertain himself with. He wanted to give gifts to Yuuri. Was it just because of his position in power? 

Maybe. Viktor decided to amount it just to that.

“I can get you some hot water if you’d like to bathe. I suppose I should as well; I don’t really like being covered in dragon’s blood.”

Yuuri felt a small shiver of disgust wave through him as he talked about his fiance.

Leyasu was a fairly attractive alpha, but he was awfully arrogant. He played such the animated character, charming and amusing whenever entertaining a crowd, always keeping the crowd engaged in his antics.

Yet the very few times they had been together, he had brought his hands close to areas Yuuri didn’t exactly feel comfortable with.

Such as one time, Leyasu had invited Yuuri for dinner, but upon waiting for their food, he had tried to push his hand up the skirt of Yuuri’s dress. He had left immediately afterwards, but it was his duty as prince to marry whomever his parents thought best, so he hadn’t said a word.

Yuuri was glad when Viktor had suggested a bath, because Yuuri very much needed one, and the longer he went without, the more he embarrassed and disgusted he felt.

“Hm, well I would very much appreciate a bath. Where do you keep your springs? In Enkyo, we have the private springs for the royal family, and I suppose there could be an exception that I could use the private baths here? With armed guards of course, since I will be undressed. I would prefer Betas or Omegas if you have them.”

Every kingdom had to have a hot springs. Yuuri grew up with the comfort of bathing comfortably whenever he needed, and to think that no one else had that privilege was horrifying. Enkyo had a public hot springs that all of the commoners could use, and assuming Kolechia had one, Yuuri really didn’t want to use something so many others had, he was a prince after all.

Viktor pursed his lips. “You really aren’t supposed to be leaving this room…” he muttered, suddenly remembering the personal steam room that only the higher ups were permitted to use. “I suppose I can ask for you. But don’t be disheartened if the vice rejects your request.”

The alpha walked out of the room and locked the door behind him. Really, who decided to leave him in charge of this omega? He didn’t know how to even make choices for himself and Yuuri in this type of situation! Without much lead on what to do, he turned to the vice to hopefully grace him with some sort of direction.

And, apparently, the vice didn’t like the idea of their captive leaving the holding room he was in just to bathe. “It’s perfectly fine for him to just use a rag and warm water,” the vice reasoned, and okay, that was true. Viktor supposed there really was no other reason Yuuri should feel the need to leave the room.

So after changing out of his armor and into some regular clothes, Viktor carried a pot of water into Yuuri’s room and got to work with heating it up over the fire.

“Sorry,” Viktor sighed. “I tried. They wouldn’t let me take you to the steam room where the baths are. Maybe if you stay here for a while and they recognize that you haven’t made any attempts to leave then they’ll let you later on.”

Yuuri had been surprised when Viktor offered to inquire about the omega could use the private baths. He had expected the other to laugh at him, and tell him he needs to learn to act more like a commoner, so his niceness was greatly appreciated.

The alpha had been oddly nice, and while Yuuri still felt pretty cautious around him, he was slowly finding himself becoming more relaxed the safer the alpha made him feel. He watched Viktor leave, and was happy to see Makkachin had continued to want to stay with him. The omega was beginning to grow attached to the dog, and he knew that when the day came that Yuuri had to leave, he would be sad to never see the dog again.

Yuuri let out a small sigh as he held Makkachin closely. “You’re such a good boy… I’m going to miss you when I leave.” He cooed softly.

Happy to give the dog his full attention, when Viktor returned, Yuuri only paid him half attention; but then he heard the other say that Yuuri wouldn’t be able to leave, and he frowned deeply, then his gaze found the bucket and rag, and glared.

“Are they expecting me to wash myself with that?” He asked, quite offended that he would have to use a dirty bucket. “And where am I supposed to use that, in the bathtub? It’s so small, I hardly think both me and a bucket will fit.”

He was throwing a tantrum, and while Yuuri knew it was a bit unfair to be upset with Nikiforov, Yuuri still didn’t know how he was supposed to bathe. Besides, where were the soaps?

Viktor felt his eyes roll almost all the way back into his head when Yuuri began complaining and throwing a tantrum over having to do something by himself that literally everyone who wasn’t royalty did every day.

“Oh, come on now. It’s not the end of the world. I assure you, you’ll be just fine taking a bath like any normal person.”

The omega was lucky that Viktor was even heating up the water for him — something Yuuri could easily do with his own hands.

This prince really needed to learn how to fend for himself. After all, who knows what might happen in the future. He needed to become more aware of the outside world and what people regularly did when they weren’t being waited on by personal servants.

“The tub is in the bathroom. Soap and rags are in there, too. I’m sure you can do this on your own, or do I have to get someone to come watch you bathe in case you can’t do it?” Viktor chided.

The alpha grabbed the steel bucket from the fire when the water was just less of boiling and carried it dutifully into the bathroom. Dumping the steaming water into the tub, he set the bucket down nearby and moved to the front door.

“I’ll be back later to check on you.”


	5. November 12th (11:30a.m. to around 2:45p.m.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Incredibly sorry for taking so long to update!  
> We've actually been taking quite some time to get this written, and we have a solid 37k written so far, so it's just going through some quick editing so we can post!

Yuuri was embarrassed, so he hid how uncomfortable he was by projecting his annoyance onto Viktor. He stood from the floor, and adjusted his dress before clearing his throat.

“No, I do not need to have someone watch me bathe. It is unnecessary, and quite rude that you treat me like a child. I am the First Prince of Enkyo, I do not appreciate your teasing, leave me be.”

Following the alpha to the bathroom, he watched as the other poured the steaming water into the tub, something which greatly confused Yuuri, but also made a lot of sense.

Oh…

Yuuri had assumed that he would have to sit in the tub, and then dip the rag in the bucket each time he wished to wash part of himself. He felt awfully foolish about making such a big fuss, when the only problem really would be the size of the tub.

As soon as he was alone, Yuuri searched the cabinets for the soaps and rags as Nikiforov said they would be, and pulled them out before undressing himself. He felt like such an idiot, and Nikiforov was probably laughing about him to his friends at this very minute too.

Yuuri shook his thoughts out of his head, and carefully stepped into the water, and closed his eyes as he moved to sit down, sinking himself lower into the warmth.

It did feel awfully nice, nothing like the hot springs he always bathed in at home, but the near boiling temperature did feel nice.

Viktor left the room to clean himself up as well. The slits in his helmet’s visor allowed blood to enter its protective workings and caused him to get dragon’s blood splattered on his face.

As nasty as it seemed, it was something he was completely used to.

He heated his water and poured it into his own tub in his separate room. The rag and soap helped him scrape off all of the grime from his battle and Viktor felt much more clean and refreshed afterwards.

The knight soaked under the hot water, enjoying the steamy temperature and the moisture it pearled on his skin. It relaxed his muscles that tended to get overworked during duels or battles and defending his kingdom from invasion, trespassing and enemies.

Soon, he exited and drained the tub from the cooling water. Drying himself off and dressing in clean clothes, Viktor ran a towel over his hair to dry it.

He figured he should check on Yuuri to make sure the omega hadn’t accidentally drowned himself or whatnot due to the fact he seemed utterly confused about how he was expected to bathe like any normal person. Viktor unlocked Yuuri’s door, closed it behind him, then knocked on the bathroom door.

“Are you okay in there?” Viktor asked through the wood panels of the bathroom door.

The warmth of the water had been so comforting, that Yuuri hadn’t realized he had dozed off, until there was a firm knocking on the bathroom door.

Startled, Yuuri flinched as his eyes quickly snapped open. He felt a bit embarrassed that he had fallen asleep so easily, and grabbed a rag and the soap he previously set on the floor so he could wash himself.  


“Yes.” Yuuri responded, wetting the rag before wrapping it around the soap so he could easily lather it against his skin.

“I won’t be much longer.”

That was very much a lie.

The water was much cooler than it had been when Yuuri originally submerged himself in the water, but it was still pleasantly warm, easing the stress from his muscles as he wiped off the dirt and grime from having gone two days without bathing, something which horrified him as he had become accustomed to bathing twice a day in the hot springs.

Yuuri spent the next quarter of an hour gently scrubbing his skin, and by the time he was finished, he set the soapy rag down on the floor, and pulled the plug for the drain in the tub before carefully standing.

Looking around for a towel of some sort, Yuuri frowned deeply when he found none.

He carefully stepped over to the door, and pulled it open just a few inches, and made sure his body was hidden before poking his head out.

He had become so used to having servants bring him clothes and towel while he bathed, that he hadn’t brought anything except his soiled clothes with him.

“Nikiforov, I request a towel and a set of clothes please.”

Viktor wasn’t sure how one single person could take so much time taking a bath. What else was there to do? It wasn’t hard; just a simple scrub and rinse, why was it taking so long?

The alpha found himself flopping down onto Yuuri’s bed in boredom, awaiting the other man to just hurry up already. It wasn’t like he could just walk right into the bathroom — Yuuri said he’d be done soon anyway.

When the door creaked open, Viktor looked up to see Yuuri peeking out with damp hair and red cheeks.

Viktor let out an exaggerated groan when Yuuri asked him to retrieve a few things. Nonetheless, he got up and began doing just that. But seriously, who the hell did Yuuri think he was? Viktor was a knight, not some royal servant. He’d slaughtered dozens upon dozens of dragons and invaders alike. He shouldn’t be the one to do this.

The knight walked over to the bathroom and quickly opened the door wider to hand the towel and clothes to Yuuri, not minding the possibility that he could’ve seen more than Yuuri would’ve wanted him to. It didn’t even cross his mind.

“I wish someone would just come up here and be your servant. I wonder, how many do you have waiting on you in your kingdom?”

Yuuri let his head rest against the door frame as he watched Viktor search around the room for what he had requested. Though the alpha did whine and complain, he still acquiesced.

Now that he had comfortably bathed, and his body was back to it’s usual cleanliness, he was feeling much more like himself. He felt like a Prince again, though unclothed, he was glad to finally have his orders followed for once.

As the alpha approached the bathroom with a towel and a clean(ish) dress from the wardrobe, Yuuri held out a hand, but he never got the chance because Nikiforov carelessly flung the door open.

Screaming, Yuuri hid his body behind the door, hoping to keep his private parts hidden, though his torso was exposed, which made his face flush deeply. No one had ever seen him so undressed before, no one besides his mother and his hand maidens.

“Nikiforov what do you think you’re doing?!”

“What?”

Viktor didn’t realize what he’d done whatsoever. All he’d done is deliver clothes and a towel to Yuuri, right? Did he give him the wrong outfit or something? Honestly, that wouldn’t have been it. If it was, Viktor was about to throw his own fit from having to wait on such a picky omega.

And with the sudden scream with the addition of Yuuri hiding behind the door like a frightened animal, Viktor realized his presence had been the cause. He’d caught sight of Yuuri’s chest, and yes, that was incredibly inappropriate for anyone of any status by someone not married to them, so Viktor’s face immediately turned a bright red.

“I-I’m sorry!” Viktor started, his eyes wide as he turned as fast as he could to face the opposite direction from the bathroom. “I wasn’t thinking, and I — I didn’t see much, I promise!”

The alpha groaned into his palms, wishing he could reverse time.

“God, I am so sorry. My deepest apologies. I’d understand if you’d want someone else to wait on you from now on — and I know you’re our prisoner and all, but you still shouldn’t be treated like that! I didn’t mean any disrespect!”

Yuuri’s blush traveled down to his chest as he hurriedly pulled the dress over his head.

He wasn’t sure he would ever be able to look the alpha in the eyes now that the other had seen him in such an undressed state. So much of his privacy had been infringed on since that early morning when Viktor had abducted him, but being caught undressed was the worst of it all.

“I-I don’t really reckon I would be allowed the courtesy of changing you for someone else to wait on me. Your cloddish king would likely laugh and insist a repeat of your actions.”

He carefully made sure the corset of the dress was secured tightly before he opened the door fully, head down in embarrassed-induced submission as he fiddled with his hands.

“I-It would also mean I would no longer having the privilege of being protected by Makkachin, and I find him a comforting presence while stuck in this hellfire.”

Hearing his name, Makkachin trotted into the bathroom, tail wagging from excitement as he whined for attention from the omega.

“But I um… I… I appreciate your apology, and I sincerely hope that it was a genuine mistake, because I have never been seen by an alpha in this manner before… Had my grandmother been alive, I would be forced to marry you just for seeing me exposed in such a fashion.”

Even if he didn’t appreciate the tone with which Yuuri described their king, Viktor didn’t become upset over it. He shrugged, trying to form words in his mouth.

“I don’t think Feltsman would do such a thing. He may be strict and hard with his words, but he’s not uncaring nor is he cruel. He is definitely not cloddish whatsoever.”

Viktor, no matter how guilty and embarrassed he felt, smiled when he saw Makkachin trot over to Yuuri. The poodle always provided happiness wherever his furry little paws decided to take him, and Viktor completely understood why Yuuri enjoyed having him around.

“Ah, yes. He’s very relaxing, isn’t he? I swear Makkachin has special healing powers or something. He can turn any bad situation into a good one.”

The room reeked of embarrassed alpha and omega pheromones mingling together. Nervously, Viktor kept his eyes on the floor instead of Yuuri as if meeting eye contact with him could get him even deeper in trouble.

“Yes, I had no intention of doing anything of the sort. I had meant only to give you your clothes, not see you in such an indecent state.”

Viktor, in shock, turned his head and met Yuuri’s eyes with his own for the first time since the whole ordeal.

“Wow, I know that’s kind of a custom over in your kingdom, but… that seems pretty ruthless to people from Kolechia.” Viktor chuckled. “Being forced to marry someone just because they accidentally saw your chest? That makes little sense at all. Royalty marries royalty here, but spouses are allowed to choose which royal figure they would like to pursue.”

It must be hard to be forced to marry someone you hardly even knew. Viktor looked at Yuuri with a curious gaze.

“I assume you are being forced to marry your current fiancé. Forgive me for asking, but this behavior is outlandish and my curiosity often gets the best of me. Do you feel fond of him? Have you met him yet? Or are you only fond of him because you’re forced to be fond of him?”

Yuuri hummed in agreement to Nikiforov’s comment of Makkachin. It was true, so far, it didn’t matter what mood the omega was in, because the moment he saw the dog, he would find himself happier and more relaxed.

The reassurance he next received was another big relief. Nikiforov actually sounded sincere in apologizing about coming across an undressed Yuuri. He was still a bit wary, but he decided not to dwelve on it much longer in fear it would turn his mood sour.

“Well it’s not a current custom we follow in Enkyo, it was quite old from when my grandmother was a young girl, and it wasn’t even a true custom. She just felt that if you allowed someone to see you in a naked state that you must marry them. I’m not sure if I’m explaining it well, your language is quite difficult to adjust to, when previously I had only learned it in my library.”

Yuuri had expected that maybe Nikiforov would change the conversation to something less infuriating, but it seemed that instead the topic of fiancé’s was the alpha’s subject of choice.

Feeling as if it was an attack on character, Yuuri’s mouth opened in shock, an obvious look of personal offence filling his expression.  


“Wha-I..” He sputtered.

It was something quite intimate to talk about, and if Yuuri was being honest, he really didn’t care for Leyasu. He had a very long list of reason’s why, but admitting too much, to Yuuri, felt as if it would only show weakness.

“My fondness of him is unimportant. The only thing that matters is Enkyo’s borders would be much safer now that we would have a larger army at disposal. And I have met him actually. We’ve had dinner once, I attended my engagement party with him, and I also visited him in the Daimyo Empire‘s gardens, which is his home country by the way. I agreed to marry whomever my father best saw fit, and Leyasu offered the most.”

Viktor sat down in the chair across from Yuuri and settled each of his legs on either side of the backrest. The alpha rested his chin on the back of the chair that his chest now leaned on. 

“So, you agreed to marry whomever your father chose for you. Did you have the option to marry anyone else? Is it custom to marry only royalty?” Really, if he had to be in this room with Yuuri, Viktor figured he might as well try to make conversation. He was curious about other kingdoms and their rituals and customs. Never attending school and going right into knighthood meant he had never received schooling on geography or anything of the sort that might lead him into learning about other kingdoms. 

And there wasn’t much else to talk about, anyway. Yuuri seemed very reserved and unwilling to talk about himself much unless prodded. So far, Viktor only knew a limited amount about the omega, so he had to ask about things he already knew. 

The little accident that had just happened previously somehow made Viktor feel more connected to Yuuri. If anything, no matter how awkward or infuriating the situation had been, it created some sort of little understanding between the two of them. 

“…If I’m not mistaken, you don’t seem too fond of your fiancé. It’s obvious in your expression.” 

Yuuri scoffed at Viktor’s remark. 

“Of course I agreed to marry whomever my father chose. Not only is he my emperor, but I also hold respect for him as he has provided me with everything I have ever wanted.” 

Crossing into the room, Yuuri made his way over to the chair across from Viktor, the one he had sat in when he first arrived in this prison, the skirt of his dress being held up by his hands as he walked. 

“And no, I did not have the option to wed anyone other than whoever it be my father would happen to choose. I was told from a young age that I wasn’t allowed the privilege of falling in love, that was a peasants duty. My purpose is to offer myself as a means to better my country. It is not necessarily custom to marry only royalty, but in my experience, only royalty can offer what Enkyo needs, so traditionally we have only married within royalty.” 

Yuuri grabbed the flask Viktor had brought him quite a few hours earlier, and took a sip of the water, allowing himself the few seconds to gather his thoughts as he listened. Frowning deeply at the accusatory statement, Yuuri found himself growing quite annoyed once more. 

“Whatever feelings of fondness, or lack thereof have no meaning. I am engaged because Enkyo needs held with defending our borders, and this engagement allows our military to expand greatly. I do not care, neither does my father about whether I love this alpha or not. My duty is to marry and provide children for his lineage.” The words came out harsher than Yuuri intended, and after a moment of silence, he found himself rather upset, and unable to pinpoint the reason why. 

Viktor frowned across the room at Yuuri. The explanation made sense, as much as he opposed of this unshared opinion. He knew royalty was to marry only royalty traditionally within most kingdoms. Even in Kolechia, it was custom for royalty to follow what royalty intended. It didn’t sound very flattering, though. 

“I don’t say this as a mean to insult your kingdom. I am just merely curious as to how royalty leads itself.” 

The alpha could sense Yuuri’s irritation almost billowing from across the room. He could smell it in the omega’s scent. Nonetheless, he only continued. 

“Is your marriage expected to succeed? Do most marriages between two people who feel nothing for each other succeed?” Viktor questioned. “Even if two royal figures marry, it doesn’t guarantee that their children will be born with the same aspects required of a royal figure.” 

He couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life with someone he didn’t even like. It sounded absolutely absurd. He thanked the gods above that he hadn’t been born into royalty and therefore would be forced to marry someone before a certain age. Viktor much rather preferred his current life. He loved exploring, fighting, fending off threats from his kingdom and their villages. Viktor loved that freedom, and anyone who wanted to be royalty didn’t understand the cost that would could along with it. 

He was usually treated like royalty, anyway. Viktor was permitted to live in the royal castle, he was permitted to be treated like royalty. But it wasn’t something that he necessarily needed or strived for. 

“I’m unsure what you mean by if my marriage is expected to succeed. We will remain married once the ceremony is completed, though I am told we will not be consummating the marriage by mating bonds, and I am more than fine with that. There have been few cases in Enkyo of arranged marriages falling to ruins, and usually the cause is infertile omegas, though according to my healer, fertility is going to be far from an issue for me.” 

Yuuri looked down at his lap, and let out a sigh. He honestly hated this type of talk, he knew it was his duty to marry Leyasu, and usually it was quite easy to push his sour thoughts aside, but something about the stupid alpha, Nikiforov, made Yuuri spill what was on his mind, before he even realized what he was doing. 

As of late, Yuuri found himself rather bothered by the engagement. Leyasu was a disgusting man, and his wandering hands only attested to that. 

He had promised himself he would provide the alpha with two children, and once his duty was complete, he would request to move back to Enkyo with his children until Leyasu was ready to train their alpha child for the throne. 

“I would rather not spend much time on this subject, and if you prove further curious, then I’m sure you could find literature to ease your curious mind, though don’t expect my help because reading is not a strong suit of mine.” 

Yuuri took another sip from the flask, and sighed when he realized all the water was gone, gaze turning back to to Nikiforov. 

“I have a few questions of my own, if you wouldn’t mind entertaining me.” 

Viktor began wondering how on Earth the man in front of him even conversed with people and much less acquire friends or people to socialize with when he had such a sour attitude. 

When Viktor tried to create some sort of connection between he and Yuuri so he wouldn’t have to feel so out of place all the time, he was promptly told to go read a book instead of conversing with the omega. 

If Viktor had learnt anything, it was not to backtalk or question the rudeness from Yuuri. It would only prove to make the prince even more hot headed and isolated. So instead of questioning why Yuuri despised answering questions in a mediocre conversation, Viktor decided to keep his mouth shut, although his telling expression most likely conveyed exactly what he was thinking. 

“Well… I didn’t want to know about general omegas in royalty, which is exactly what I’d find in those books. I had been wanting to know about you specifically. I suppose it’s alright if you don’t want to discuss it, though.” 

The alpha shrugged and leaned back in his seat. Maybe if he answered Yuuri’s questions, he’d be more open to talking about himself. And it wasn’t like he had a disposition to talking about himself, anyway. 

“Okay. Ask me, then.” 

Yuuri could tell from Nikiforov’s expression that he was obviously very annoyed, though the omega was equally annoyed with the alpha so he wasn’t exactly wanting to do anything to change the mood. 

He was safely sitting across the room from the alpha, and said alpha seemed to finally come to terms with Yuuri’s status as royalty, something which he was hoping would make his time on Kolechia much smoother. 

Not only that, but Nikiforov seemed quite willing to answer Yuuri’s questions, which was a secret ploy by Yuuri to get to know the alpha more so that it would be easier to trick him. Maybe we could seduce the alpha into letting him go? As much as the thought flustered Yuuri, at this point he was more than willing to do almost anything to escape. 

“When I inquired about your name earlier before the sun rose, you gave me your family name, though I had hoped to receive your given name. So I suppose my question is if you would mind giving me your given name.” 

Yuuri leaned forward his forearms on his legs as he watched Viktor, trying to show that he was interested in what the other had to say, when he really would rather sit and watch Makkachin instead. 

Viktor watched Yuuri seemingly become more interested in what he had to say. What caused the change of heart, he wasn’t sure at all, but whatever it was proved to be quite alright with him. 

“I’m trying to decide if I should put up as much as a fight as you do when responding to simple questions.” Viktor teased. “It’s kind of tiring, you know? I’d rather just have the answer instead of an entire novel read out to me explaining why you hate me.” 

The alpha chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. 

“Viktor.” He spoke. “It’s Viktor Nikiforov.” 

The Russian’s blue eyes sparkled with something unable to pinpoint. 

“Why? Are you wanting to get to know your captor? How strange.” 

Viktor laughed, thoroughly enjoying messing with Yuuri and playing with his temper just as the omega had done to him. 

“My name shouldn’t hold any importance to you. I’m just a knight of a stranger kingdom. I am nothing close to royalty, nor would I ever want to be.” 

Yuuri couldn’t help the narrowing of his eyes when he heard the alpha tease about becoming more difficult, as if he hadn’t already been such a thorn in Yuuri’s ass. 

As much as he wanted to remain indifferent and pissed off, the main defenses of his mental wall, Nikiforov’s confession did make Yuuri feel rather guilty. Never before had he purposely went out of his way to make someone’s life difficult. 

But then- 

Viktor? 

His name was Viktor? 

The name seemed rather suiting for the strong annoying alpha, and Yuuri soon was willingly examining the alpha, seeing if there was anything else that was new that he could learn about him. He didn’t know much so far. His name was Viktor, he had a dog named Makkachin, he was the highest regarded knight in Kolechia who lived in the castle, knew the king personally, and also appeared to be a rather fearsome dragonslayer. It was all, for the most part, useless information that Yuuri could have found out by asking anyone, though as isolated as he was, it would be incredibly difficult, so for now Viktor was his only source of information. 

“Well of course a name is important. I have never called anyone by their family name before, so I admit I have been feeling a bit discomfort. And it is rather important I know who you are, since I have a feeling Kolechia will not give me up so easily back to my home country. If I am to spend the coming weeks here, I’d rather it not be a difficult few weeks.” 

Viktor only shrugged. 

“Weeks, months, years… who knows how long you’ll end up staying here. What is for certain though — it’ll only be difficult if you decide to make it that way, darling. You’ve just been making this whole experience bad for yourself. Of course it’s not the greatest thing that could happen to you, but if your outlook and attitude wasn’t so poor, then I assure you, you’d be having a better time here.” 

The alpha didn’t particularly want to be guarding Yuuri constantly, either. He tried not to let it seem that way, though — he’d rather have a positive outlook on this whole endeavor to make it feel like a better one. Viktor would much rather be out, running along on his horse through the plentiful forests of Kolechia. 

But, as fate and the royal family ordered, he was to stay here and personally guard this bratty royal omega. 

“I’ve tried to make you feel more at home here. I’m not sure what else you’d like me to do. Well, I know you’d prefer if I showed you the way out of here… but we both know that’s not an option right now. And you’d die out there alone. There’s no way you’d be able to venture back to your kingdom by yourself. You have no weapon training, no hunting abilities, no fighting tactics… all you’ve been taught your whole life is how to sit and be pretty. That’s a terrible thought, isn’t it?” 

Yuuri sighed softly as Viktor brought him back to the reality that he was probably going to be staying in Kolechia for longer than he realized, and hadn’t even noticed how the alpha had taken to using a nickname. 

“I don’t think it’ll be years… My mother would not allow my father to keep me here for years, and-and months? I’m not quite sure about that predicament. The longest I can see him allowing my leave is six months, and even then, that is rather pushing it…” 

His heat was due in four months and six days, and with certainty the omega knew he was not going to spend that vulnerable time in a country where he was seen as an enemy, where no one cared whether he lived or died. 

It hadn’t even been a full twenty-four hours since arriving, and already Yuuri found himself beginning to realize his father wouldn’t bring him his salvation as quickly as he had originally anticipated. 

“Pardon my poor language, but I honestly do not see what you have done to make me feel more at home. You have given me a small flask of water, access to a wardrobe of old dresses where the corsets hardly tighten enough to my size, and a dragon scale to use as either decoration or a mirror. The blanket on the poor mattress I was supplied is filled with holes drawn from rats, and has scratched me more than a thorn bush. There isn’t even-” Yuuri stopped himself from his tangent, and closed his eyes for a quick moment as he took a deep breath. 

“I apologize, it is nothing, and I am grateful that I at least have not been subjected to sexual assault.” 

Yuuri had wanted to complain about there being no materials to build a nest, but even if there were, there was nowhere Yuuri felt safe enough to build one. So even if the alpha had somehow brought him the blankets and pillows needed, Yuuri still wouldn’t have built one.


	6. November 12th 2:45pm to 4pm

“…You do realize you’re in a captive cell right now, yes? You’re a prisoner, not some high and mighty being here. Of course things won’t be up to your expectations because you’re used to living in such lavish conditions.”

The alpha held a deep feeling of hatred for selfish royalty. These people who were born into this plentiful life had no idea what it was like to live life as someone as a lower rank. Viktor supposed this might just be a lesson for Yuuri to learn from.

Viktor narrowed his eyes at the omega across from him. Would rock bottom to him seriously be something so foul and repulsive?

“I assure you, nobody here will even try to assault you sexually. Kolechian alphas know how to handle and control their urges around heats and ruts. It’s one of the first things students learn in classes, and it’s common knowledge here. The death penalty is served to anyone who pushes past the law.”

The blocked off window to the side drew Viktor’s attention when he heard a shout from outside. Curiously, the knight walked closer and easily tore one of the wooden boards away to have some sort of access to know what was going on outside. A stream of sunlight filled the otherwise dim room for once.

“Ah, public execution…” Viktor relayed to the prince behind him. His eyes were focused on the stage outside where the guillotine was being set up and the victim was shoved under the cuffs by Kolechian guards. The man looked like a knight of some sort, although the emblem on his armor was unfamiliar to Viktor.

“Is that one of your knights, Yuuri?” Viktor asked, moving over to allow Yuuri access to see. “I don’t recognize the symbol on his armor.”

Glaring, Yuuri huffed out of annoyance.

“I know I’m a prisoner here, and if it is so difficult for you to be around me, then why don’t you leave? It’s much more peaceful when I’m by myself anyways.”

He turned his gaze away from Viktor, choosing to look over the fireplace, as if suddenly it were something captivating that could hold his attention for hours.

Viktor seemed to boast about how high and mighty all the alphas were in Kolechia, but Yuuri found it very hard to believe. How was it that the entire country was so respectful of omegas, when in Enkyo, Yuuri was told horror stories of the terrible alphas in the world surrounding them, and what they would do to pretty, untouched omegas like Yuuri if they ever got the chance.

Caught up in his own frustrations, Yuuri hadn’t realized that Viktor had somehow revealed a window that previously was hidden by nailed boards until he heard the other’s words.

A public execution?

Yuuri hadn’t seen one of those in a few months, where back in Enkyo, a group of foreign alpha spies were drawn and quartered, a punishment reserved specifically for them as they had run along a string of serial sexual assaults against unsuspecting omegas.

“What?” Yuuri asked as he stood from the chair, and moved to stand close to Viktor so he was able to look out the window. Sadly for him, he didn’t have his glasses, so he wasn’t able to see much of anything outside of the window, most everything looked blurred together.

“I’m afraid I can’t answer your question, I can’t see the man you’re referring to. Could you describe his emblem?”

Viktor squinted out of the window as if trying to get a closer look at the emblem on the man’s armor. The metal held a copperish tone to it and had symbols engraved into it as well.

“Hm… it looks like a sun kind of. Like a red sun on his shoulder plate.”

The alpha leaned in to get a better look at the man’s face when the Kolechian guards tore his helmet off and tossed it to the side.

“Dark hair… he’s moving around too much. Can’t see his face very well.”

A group of townspeople began hoarding around the stage. The man being executed was held firmly into place under the guillotine’s blade.

_“A single knight from Enkyo was sent to trespass into Kolechian territory to contact their prince. He will not be returning to his kingdom anytime soon, and let this be a message to all of those who dare try to trespass without important reason to communicate with our King! This is just another warning to Enkyo and other surrounding kingdoms of what is to come!”_

The man below who was shouting an explanation held his hand firmly over the trespasser’s neck.

_Three… ___

____

____

_Two… ___

____

____

_One… ___

____

____

Viktor threw his palm over Yuuri’s eyes just before the blade had dropped, effectively slicing and beheading the man, sending his head rolling onto the stage and a long trail of blood followed.

“Sorry. You shouldn’t be watching this.” Viktor said softly, his eyes focused on the sight outside.

The more Viktor described the man, the surer Yuuri was that it was one of Enkyo’s men.

Then a knight from Kolechia began his announcement of the Enkyo knight’s charges, and upon hearing that he had trespassed in hopes of rescuing Yuuri, the omega’s heart dropped.

He didn’t even bother hiding the distress in his scent.

Yuuri wasn’t able to watch much longer, because after the man finished speaking, Viktor suddenly covered his eyes with his hand.

It was sweet, the alpha trying to protect him from seeing such violence, but Yuuri couldn’t even see that far, so his actions had been unnecessary. Though Yuuri didn’t want to ruin the mood, so he kept his mouth shut on the subject.

“They killed him…” Yuuri whispered softly, stepping away from the window, so that he could move back to his chair, carefully sitting himself down.

“If Enkyo sent him, then he must have been someone highly talented… and very trusted… I know the names of every knight we have, and upon my arrival back in Enkyo, I’ll make sure to personally visit his family and give them my regards….”

Sighing softly, Yuuri turned his gaze away from Viktor, and instead looked down at his hands which he fiddled with in his lap.

“I hope it was not one of the knights in my personal protection.”

Viktor watched as Yuuri weakly moved back to sit in his chair.

Perhaps opening the window wasn’t the best idea. It had been boarded up for a reason anyway.

“I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have had to witness that.”

Even if Viktor was trained not to feel empathy toward the enemy and its followers, he couldn’t help but absorb the raw emotion emanating from the omega’s distressed scent. It was fruitless to try and disregard Kolechia. The knights and guards and soldiers alike were among the toughest and diligent in the world, so it would be unwise to send anyone out on a limb.

“Maybe Enkyo will see this as a warning and won’t send anymore men without good intention. Let’s hope they learn from this experience.”

The alpha looked back outside at the smear of blood splattered on the wooden stage. Several workers moved to discard of the body and its remains.

“I doubt the king will call off this whole mess. He’s not one to relent. The only way your kingdom will successfully have you back is if they relent, I’m assuming. I’m not sure exactly what anyone’s intentions are.”

“Not like I could see much anyways. It’s just upsetting whenever I witness someone who vowed to protect my life with theirs, actually lose their life trying to protect me in some way.”

Yuuri smoothed out the edges of his dress before standing from the chair.

“I need to freshen myself up in the washroom, please excuse me.”

Yuuri had never actually seen an execution before. Usually, his parents had wished to keep his innocence, and would request he stay in his chambers until whenever the execution was complete.

He had always complained, saying he was an adult and could handle himself at an execution; but actually hearing someone yell before the sound of a blade slicing their head off was a complete different story.

Yuuri didn’t like it, and he never wanted to see someone die like that again.

Crossing the room into the washroom, Yuuri shut the door behind him, and grabbed a washrag, wetting it with some of the cold bathwater before patting his face and the scent glands on his neck with the rag.

Yuuri felt overwhelmed, and he felt like he needed to retire himself to bed for a nap, but it was the middle of the day, plus he was also afraid of any nightmares.

Viktor nodded when Yuuri moved to the restroom to wash up. He assumed that the omega just wanted some time to himself to pick apart what had just happened. Viktor didn’t doubt him.

He wanted to go out and help clean up, but he’d been ordered to stay at Yuuri’s side unless otherwise. If Enkyan forces would decide to storm the castle which was unlikely for them to succeed in itself, Viktor would be their very last target. He was sure to wipe them all out, and he’d been stationed in the cell with Yuuri as an extra layer of protection.

The alpha wished he could see it from Yuuri’s point of view. His own people being killed for him, just to try and contact him to assure his safety…

Viktor couldn’t. He’d been trained not to fear the enemy’s feelings.

It left him feeling uncomfortably numb towards violence.

But even if he despised the way that royalty was treated, he wouldn’t dare disrespect his king; he was like family. Viktor wouldn’t take that for granted.

A while passed. Viktor was left alone in the room with his thoughts.

“Yuuri, are you okay in there?” The knight asked toward the washroom door.

Yuuri was nauseous.

Every time he closed his eyes, he would hear the Enkyan knight’s scream right before he had been beheaded. Though Yuuri hadn’t actually seen the execution, his pleas would be heard in Yuuri’s brain for the many months to come.

After he wiped his face with the rag, Yuuri had gazed at himself in a small mirror, and frowned at the sight of bags under his eyes. Did he really look so… ugly? For lack of a better word?

He then splashed his face with water, pausing halfway through his motions as he found himself lost in thought.

Resting his head on the porcelain edge of the bathtub, Yuuri let out a soft sigh.

Yuuri wasn’t allowed to delve in thoughts for much longer before he heard Viktor’s familiar voice through the crack of the door.

“Hm? Oh yes, sorry…” He carefully stood from the floor before pulling open the door.

“I hadn’t realized how long I was in there.”

Viktor felt poorly that he hadn’t ushered Yuuri away from the window sooner. Now he’d probably freaked the omega out, and for good reason, too.

He allowed the prince his time in the washroom until he poked his head back out.

“Again, sorry. I shouldn’t have let you know what was happening out there. I should’ve known it was one of your soldiers. It’s obvious.”

Silence engulfed them.

Viktor awkwardly scratched the back of his head, trying to figure out what to say in this gloomy atmosphere. He’d been staring at the floorboards, and when he looked up to meet Yuuri’s gaze…

“Are you not feeling well?”

Yuuri had slight bags underneath his eyes.

It was understandable if he wasn’t feeling great. Emotions were tied to physical symptoms after all.

“I could get you some tea if you’d like.”

Yuuri kept his head down in submission as he walked past Viktor, his mind running a mile a minute, feeling much too stressed to be much trouble to the alpha.

He made his way over to the window, and looked out at the guillotine below.

Though it was blurry enough that Yuuri couldn’t make out any details, he could still see a rather large red splotch that he figured was likely a pool of blood.

Yuuri wanted his nest.

He felt uncomfortable, and confused, and distressed, and mournful, and all the omega in him wanted was the safety of his nest to curl up in and hide for a few hours.

But it seemed he would have to go without comfort for the next few months while he was in Kolechia.

“No…” Yuuri responded softly, moving away from the window to sit on the edge of the bed.

“I’m quite alright, not unwell. Tea is unnecessary, though some more water to drink would be nice, I’m rather parched.”

Viktor nodded before standing and retrieving the flask from Yuuri’s nightstand.

“I’ll be right back.”

The alpha locked the door behind him when he went to go fill the flask with fresh water. As he descended the stairs, he had the urge to make a quick trip outside and ask the executioner what the man’s name had been.

Viktor couldn’t make himself do that.

Adding a name to the body that had already hurt Yuuri so much would only cause him more pain. Uncertainty was better than connection in this situation.

The alpha came back to Yuuri’s room and tucked the key around his neck back into his shirt collar before pushing the unlocked door open.

He had to be very diligent with locking and unlocking this door. Every in and out required the door to be locked and unlocked and repeated.

As troublesome as it was, he understood why.

“Here,” Viktor said softly, handing the flask over to Yuuri.

“You still seem nervous.” The alpha said, sensing the distress in the omega’s scent.

Yuuri hated being locked in the tower.

It reminded him of the stupid stories his nannies used to tell him when he was a young pup, the ones where the omega was rescued by a young, handsome, strong alpha.

Expect with Yuuri, he was coming to realize that no one was going to come save him.

Having the alpha gone was a relief, even if it would be for a few minutes, the time he had alone was something Yuuri deeply cherished.

He let out a sigh, eyes falling shut as he rest his head back against the wall.

Kolechia was a terrible place, Yuuri so deeply missed the comfort and safety Enkyo provided him with.

Yuuri wasn’t allowed solitude for much longer, as Viktor had returned, but the omega wasn’t bothered too much, because the return of the alpha meant fresh water.

“I’m not nervous, I’m mournful that a life was lost in an attempt at protection of my life.”

“Every start to a war begins with lives being lost in some way, shape or form, darling,” Viktor spoke softly, the term of endearment naturally slipping from his mouth.

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I guess it probably affects you more than it does me, though, because my job is basically to kill. Whether it be human or beast, I’ve done it all.”

Viktor knew violence, and he knew it very well. It surrounded him everywhere he went and he didn’t see an end nor did he search for one.

He was fine with this fate. Viktor liked the thrill of the hunt.

But he had morals. He wouldn’t kill another man without reason or unless ordered to.

Blood was a scent he had become accustomed to.

“…I know you don’t like me being here.” Viktor spoke up, his eyes trained on the splash of sunlight coming from the gap in the window. “I don’t like being here either. I’d rather be out there. The feeling is mutual.”

“Mother always lectured me on incessant fighting for no reason was immature and childish, yet it seems it’s all you alphas do.” Yuuri spoke softly, his gaze resting on the alpha.


	7. January 6th 1425 (11am to dawn the next morning)

Viktor had left him alone not long after their conversation, and the days that followed seemed to hold the same lonely pattern. Not that Yuuri minded, being alone was much more comfortable than being stuck in the presence of the alpha who abducted him. His only other contact with the outside world was a servant, and she didn’t even speak with him, her duty only to bring him food twice a day, and then to remove the dishes when he was finished, though as of late Yuuri found that he’d lost his appetite. Some weeks after his abduction (and a few days after his birthday), Yuuri found himself feeling rather ill.

Of course he had done his best to keep his secrets from his captors, though he could see the look of pity mixed with annoyance from the beta servant who had been bringing him trays of food, only to remove the same full tray an hour later. He hadn’t been confronted by Viktor yet, which meant so far the servant was keeping his secret, though he supposed she was only doing that to protect him, which was a nice thought even though they had never spoken before. Kolechia was in the heart of winter, and Yuuri could only tell so, because just outside the small window in his cell, he could see a familiar blanketing of white covering most of what he could see through his blurry vision. With a small sigh, Yuuri curled up on his bed, arms wrapped tightly around his ghastly frame as he willed himself to sleep through the night.

As winter approached and the need for indoor heat increased within the kingdom, Viktor was on extra duty for hunting down dragons and the oil sacs in their larynx that allowed them to produce fire. The oil burned longer than any other and provided more heat than most. It was easy to control and warmed a building up almost instantly just by burning it within the fireplace. He was almost always out on his horse, treading through the falling snow and creeping up in populous dragon caves around the area. Makkachin had been learning how to be a better hunter as well. He’d sniff down the giant reptiles and would lead the way through the fluffy snow coating the ground, effectively covering himself in the snow and matting his fur with it. Viktor had to spend a lot of time picking it out from Makkachin’s fur after long journeys.

Dragon eggs were carefully hauled back to the kingdom every once in a while when permitted. Viktor tried to make sure the ones he took weren’t fertilized, as they could be used for food instead of one that had a baby dragon inside of it. There wasn’t any use for a baby dragon with underdeveloped features.

After a particularly hard and taxing journey, Viktor cleaned himself up and washed the blood that had gotten onto his skin. He carried a pot of dragon’s oil in his arms to refresh the fire in Yuuri’s room. After carefully knocking, he unlocked the door and entered.

“I brought some oil to use for your fireplace,” Viktor spoke, looking over at the bed where Yuuri was curled up quite early for bed. “Oh! Um, sorry? I didn’t mean to wake you. Why are you going to bed so early? Do you feel okay?”

Much too nauseous to sleep, Yuuri continued to lay curled on the bed, simultaneously exhausted but also having a fairly active mind. It had been quite a few days since he had last eaten, and his body was definitely letting him know. While his stomach wasn’t growling anymore, he was getting awful cramps, and found himself dizzy more often than not. Yuuri also hadn’t seen Viktor in a while, so when his door was suddenly pushed open by the alpha, it was definitely a surprise, though he was still too out of it to have much of a reaction.

“Th-Thank you for the oil.” The words were more of a slur, but Yuuri didn’t care, at least if it was warm maybe the cramps from not eating would dissipate. It was obvious that Viktor knew something was wrong, but Yuuri wished that he wouldn’t comment on it much further, also wishing that he wouldn’t recognize Yuuri’s next lie.

“I’m quite alright, rather cold, but the oil should fix that. The exposed window has been letting in the occasional snow flurries, but I don’t mind, I enjoy being able to look out into the city. I’m sure it’s only the cold that is making me so lethargic.”

By the look on Viktor’s face, he clearly hadn’t believed anything that Yuuri just said. Once he finished starting Yuuri’s fire again, he set the extra oil barrel aside nearby so Yuuri could add more as he pleased.

“It’s not even that cold in here. The heat from the castle is warm enough. There’s something else going on, isn’t there?” The roar of the fire and the crackling of the fire wood filled the room. Yellow light from the flames shone across the wooden planks and the bed.

Curiously, Viktor approached the side of the bed which Yuuri was facing. He leaned in and looked at the omega’s face.

His skin looked pale. This face looked more thin than it had been. His eyes had bags underneath and he didn’t look all that energized.

“Are you sick? I’ll get a doctor in here, okay? You look terrible. I’m sorry. I should’ve visited more often…”

Panicked, the alpha quickly disappeared from the room to fetch medical attention. Maybe it was Yuuri’s body that wasn’t used to the cold or the suddenly dropping temperatures outdoors. But even then, it shouldn’t have been such an intense reaction to that.

Yuuri let out a tired sigh, not bothering to move from the bed.

“Well maybe I just get cold easily, besides, the stupid dresses in the wardrobe aren’t made of the thick materials my usual dresses are made of. Nothing is wrong, I’m just rather cold.”

As Viktor approached the bed, Yuuri couldn’t help but wiggle away from the other, towards the other side of the bed. But then he had to lean over and examine Yuuri, which made him quite uncomfortable.

“No, I don’t need the doctor, it’s fine… I’ll just move closer to the fire, and I’m sure I’ll be fine. Don’t worry him about it. Your visits hardly have an affect on me, I’m absolutely fine when you’re gone.”

It was beginning to seem that no matter how much Yuuri tried to assure the alpha that he was fine, Viktor would only grow more panicked.

He didn’t understand why the alpha was so worried, when they hardly spent much time together, and not only that, but they were not friends, and never would be. Viktor kidnapped him, and Yuuri still resented him for it.

When the alpha finally returned, Yuuri couldn’t help but frown.

“I told you I don’t need the doctor. Just let me rest by the fire.” Yuuri still hadn’t moved from the bed to sit by the fire. He was still so drained and weak, brain very much slower on reacting.

When Viktor returned with a doctor at his side, the beta glanced over Yuuri and immediately could tell that something was wrong. Viktor worriedly stood off to the side and allowed the professional to conduct an exam.

“So, Katsuki, I’ve heard from the maid that you haven’t been eating your meals,” the doctor said calmly.

Viktor looked over at him with surprise in his expression. Yuuri hasn’t been eating?

The doctor moved to help Yuuri sit up in bed so he could take his pulse and feel his throat to make sure it wasn’t inflamed.

“You’re malnourished. You’re an omega, correct? That could mean that you’re either very distraught, or you’re trying to go on a strike of some sort. Whatever it is, I’m going to give you some herbs that will stimulate your appetite. Drink them in a tea or eat them raw, either way it’ll work. Now, I’ve noticed that you have no nest in here. That could be another reason, right?”

Viktor put a finger to his own lips. Now everything was starting to make sense.

“I can gather nesting materials,” Viktor spoke up, offering immediately.

When the doctor commented on Yuuri’s lack of eating just seconds after arriving, the omega nervously turned his gaze away.

Viktor seemed taken aback, though Yuuri didn’t understand why it was a surprise considering in the last month he had only seen the alpha a handful of times.

“Well… no, I haven’t…”

As soon as he was sitting up, Yuuri felt his dizziness returning, so he pushed himself against the headboard for support as the doctor felt around his neck.

Yuuri felt ashamed.

He hadn’t expected to have his endeavors exposed by the beta, but the suggestion of tea did rather excite him. He hadn’t had a nice cup of tea since he had last been in Enkyo, and he dreadfully missed the familiar taste, though his joy quickly fizzled out at the mention of a nest.

“N-No, I don’t need one.” He tried to make the words as firm as possible to hide his rather obvious lie. Nesting was a natural instinct for omegas that served to make them calm and relaxed, and to take one away from an omega could lead to intensely stressful situations, where if not careful, the omega could collapse.

Besides, there wasn’t anywhere safe for him to have a nest anyways, everywhere in his cell was too exposed.

“Nonsense,” the doctor decreed. “You need a nest. It’s very obvious you haven’t been resting well. Nikiforov, if you would..?”

Viktor nodded without hesitation and quickly went to retrieve some nesting materials for Yuuri. Nobody had expected for Yuuri’s stay to be so long, so nobody had prepared for Yuuri to have a nest anyway. Everyone had expected for a war to break out or for Enkyo to comply with Kolechia’s demands.

While the alpha was out of the room, the doctor moved over to the fireplace and began heating some herbs and spices over some water.

“I know it isn’t the most comfortable place to be staying… nobody wants to be away from home. But you might as well make yourself comfortable while you’re staying here, right?” The doctor spoke softly.

Viktor returned a moment later with an armful of stacked blankets and other soft items. He moved to place them on the foot of Yuuri's bed. Even if they were supposed to be enemies, even if they were supposed to hate each other… with all of the time Viktor had spent with Yuuri in the past, it made him feel a bit connected to him. He wanted to make the omega feel comfortable.

“I can scent some things if you want, maybe an alpha’s scent on all of the blankets would make it more appealing?”

Yuuri hadn’t been able to give his protests before the doctor had sent Viktor away. With a sigh, the omega went weak against the mattress, deciding it wouldn’t be the energy to fight the doctor. He had been beginning to give up on his hopes of being rescued. Nearly over a month of being stuck in Kolechia, and besides the one knight who was executed the day after his arrival, Yuuri had heard nothing of anyone else from Enkyo seeing his salvation.

It was quite disheartening to think that his family might be abandoning him.

“I very much appreciate your care and services, and whilst your advice may be true, I am unable to build my nest. I don’t… I can’t do it here. It doesn’t feel right here, my nest is supposed to be safe, I’m supposed to be safe there but yet…. yet these heathens stole me from my nest, and I don't feel safe enough to build another, I-” Yuuri’s mouth snapped shut the moment Viktor returned with an overwhelming amount of blankets, pillows, and other nesting materials.

The omega shifted on the bed so he closer to the items, and couldn’t help but hesitantly reach out to grab one. They were obviously of high quality, something specifically manufactured for omegas, and while the omega in him wanted to preen and purr at all the nice materials, the more rational side wanted nothing to do with them. At the suggestion of Viktor scenting everything, immediately Yuuri’s scent flared with a mixture of being flustered and outright surprise. Yuuri had never had anyone scent the items of his nest. It had always been his scent, and his scent only.

“W-What?!”

Viktor was taken aback by Yuuri’s strong reaction to his offer. The alpha’s eyes darted around the room and he stood awkwardly at the foot of Yuuri’s bed.

“I mean, I know that having an alpha’s scent would definitely help? It’s not anything more than that. I just want to help, and I know that it would make you feel more content, right?” Viktor clarified, his voice much softer now. His eyes refused to meet Yuuri’s.

“People do it all the time, right? In hospitals sometimes alpha staff will scent some blankets to give to omega patients because it calms them. It’s nothing more than just that.”

The doctor looked up from the boiling water with the herbs he was dutifully stirring in. “Yes, that happens sometimes. It’s up to the omega though. If he doesn’t want his items scented, then fine. But if he does, then he can definitely feel more calm. Regardless of what you choose, Katsuki, I want you to build a nest. Doctor’s orders.”

The doctor finished up with preparing the tea and poured some into a ceramic cup. He added honey and ginger to make it sweeter and then handed it to Yuuri with a smile.

“This should help you want to eat more. Make sure you drink all of it.”

Yuuri could sense the sudden change in the atmosphere, though most the dead give-away was how Viktor’s scent shifted quickly to one of embarrassment. He had never been scented by an alpha before, so the thought of his nest being scented made him extremely flustered.

But the doctor kept insisting it would help him keep calm, so whilst Yuuri was appalled at the idea, he found himself reluctantly agreeing.

“I-I mean… I-I um.. okay, if you would mind Viktor…” Yuuri spoke softly as he held up one of the blankets for Viktor to take.

“And I’m still rather unsure of where I want my nest, nowhere in here feels right… I mean, I could build it in the corner by the window, or the opposite corner closest to the fire, but I’m unsure… the omega half of me doesn’t want to build it, it makes me rather anxious because I don't feel safe here.” He didn’t like admitting it to Viktor, in fear the other would grow angry, but he was sure that the alpha wouldn’t do anything now that the doctor was in the room.

Taking a small sip from the tea, Yuuri closed his eyes and let out a subconscious purr, unrealizing he had done so as he took another longer sip of tea.

“Of course I wouldn’t mind,” Viktor readily replied, taking one of the blankets from Yuuri’s hand. He’d been expecting to scent a lot more than just one article of fabric, but he figured just starting out with one would be a good beginning.

Viktor took his overcoat off and set it aside before holding the blanket up to the sides of his neck where his scent glands were. He rubbed the fabric against both sides, soaking his scent into the weaving. Viktor rubbed his inner wrists against the blanket as well.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean for it to feel so unsafe in here.” Viktor replied. “Aside from the obvious, what would make this feel more comfortable for you to build a nest?” The alpha handed the thoroughly scented blanket back to the omega and took a seat across from the room.

“I can have more of my guards stationed outside of the door if you’d like, or I can —“ Viktor’s thinking was interrupted by the sound of a purr filling the room. His ears were immediately drawn to the purely omegaen sound.

“Did you just purr?” Viktor questioned. Being around other alphas for his entire life, he hadn’t much experience with omegas and their behaviors. Only alphas and betas were permitted to serve in the knighthood, so this was completely new to him.

Face flushing a deep red, Yuuri immediately stopped purring when attention had been brought to it. It was so embarrassing that he had been caught doing some that was usually quite intimate, and he felt whatever comfort he had, immediately dissipate.

“I-I sorry… I hadn’t realized what I was doing, it will not happen again.” He promised, head turned down in shame as he stared at his cup, his discomfort churning his stomach, making him not want the tea the doctor had made him.

“About my nest… I wasn’t expecting you to recognize the severity of my discomfort. Alphas typically find it difficult to understand omegaen feelings when they are not mated, so I knew from the beginning that I would like live without a nest for the duration of my stay… Besides, you had stolen me from my nest at home, which I will admit was rather traumatic, and the thought of building another nest is useless considering you or someone will likely invade it again… If my nest wasn’t safe in my own kingdom, in my bed chambers, in one of the tallest towers, then how would it be any safer here? I appreciate you scenting my blanket, and whilst I will not be building a nest, perhaps I’ll use it instead of the one with holes I previously have been using to sleep.”

Yuuri set the near full cup of tea aside so he could reach for the blankets and pillows Viktor had brought.

“I suppose it would be rather useless to ask if I would be allowed to go for a walk… So… is there something I could use to draw? My days are usually filled with staring at the wall or out the window, it would be nice to have something else to occupy my time.” He was hoping that neither the doctor or Viktor would comment on him not drinking the tea. Yuuri really didn’t feel like explaining that he wasn’t going to eat until he was offered a safer place to stay. He knew how rare it was to have a male omega, and he was fully prepared to let himself starve to near death if it meant he could get what he needed.

“No, no! That’s not what I meant at all! I, um —“ Viktor stammered, trying to rectify the situation as best he could. “I didn’t mean you purring was a bad thing! You don’t have to apologize for it at all. I want you to purr, actually, because it means you feel content, right? I want you to purr! I was just surprised, is all, because I’ve never… I’ve never heard an omega purr before. It was interesting.” The alpha felt his own comfort dissipate. He’d gotten closer to Yuuri in terms of openness, but now he seemed to have soiled it.

Viktor obviously hadn’t been around many omegas in his life. Of course he socialized with them in numerous occasions, but their behaviors were almost completely unknown to him and only supplied by the rumors he’d hear every once in a while.

“Sorry. I know being taken from your nest isn’t something that you should have to deal with, and I agree that it’s wrong and could damage your outlook on safety in the long run. But please believe me that I would never do that on my own volition. I was only following orders. Right now, my orders are to do outside work as needed and to guard you whilst also making you feel safe and sound. I assure you that nobody will be disrupting your nest here. Not even your own people if they so choose to try and come abduct you. They wouldn’t get past the border here.”

The doctor packed up his things and said his goodbyes to both men. “Katsuki, drink all of that tea. Nikiforov will make sure you do for your own good.” The doctor chuckled, giving the alpha a pat on the shoulder. “I’ll be back in a few days for a checkup. Feel free to find me again if more medical attention is needed.”

After the click of the door sounded, Viktor turned back to look at Yuuri.

“I guess I’m supposed to make you drink your tea. I’ll tell you what — if you finish that tea, then I’ll definitely gather you some drawing materials. But only if you finish drinking the rest of that.”

Yuuri wasn’t sure if Viktor was genuine about wanting to hear him purr, but he was tired enough that his mind easily let it go.

“I would have thought that an alpha like yourself would find it rather easy to make an omega purr, I find it a great surprise that you’ve never heard the sound before. In Enkyo, it’s quite common for omegas to nearly always be in a state of contentedness, though for nobles and royals such as I, it is considered improper to purr around an alpha who is not your sire or mate.”

Yuuri felt a sense of dread. He felt quite nervous being left alone with Viktor once more, since he had explained how he had really been feeling, and his nervousness only heightened when he heard that Viktor was supposed to make him drink the tea.

“You know, there’s no need to hold drawing utensils above my head to force me to drink the tea. As much as I would love to create art, feeling safe is much more important for me, so I think for now I will remain hungry until I can be moved to a place where I feel safer so I can build myself a nest. Feel free to tell your king of my actions, I do not fear him, it’s only you that I fear.” Yuuri arranged one of the blankets into a small ark before grabbing another blanket to pull over his body.

“Until then, I would like to rest. I know it is rather late, so if you wouldn’t mind leaving me be. And if you could tell the beta servant to not bring my breakfast, that would be nice too. I wouldn’t want to waste food, perhaps there is a child on the streets who could eat it in my place.”

Viktor frowned. He’d never heard an omega’s purr before until now, and he was curious to hear it again. He’d been trained in his knighthood in a school of betas and alphas and never had much contact with any omegas whatsoever, so he had limited knowledge on what their behaviors were like and such. And when Yuuri spoke to him so dismissively…

“You’re scared of me? Why? I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”

The alpha sighed into his hand. It wasn’t like he could force Yuuri to drink the rest of the tea nor could he force Yuuri to eat. He supposed he could only allow Yuuri to do what he pleased until the doctor came back to check in and assess him. Until then, he could only respect Yuuri’s wishes. 

On one condition.

“I can’t tell the maid to stop bringing you meals. We have to at least offer them to you. And if you’re worried about a hungry child not having the food, then you could at least eat the food as some sort of compensation, right? That way it’s not going to waste at all.” Viktor watched Yuuri curl up with the blankets, including the one he had just scented.

“I wish you goodnight.”

The alpha left the room and gently closed the door behind him. What the hell else could he do? Yuuri was a bit taken aback when Viktor commented on how he was confused on as to why the omega was scared of him. He didn’t understand how the alpha didn’t realize that the entirety of Yuuri’s experiences with Viktor were products of his kidnapping.

He was nervous from being away from his home country and he was completely isolated in a cell where his only company was a beta servant and Viktor (who seemed to only show up once a week), both of which led to him being fairly anxious the fast majority of the time.

“What? Why can’t you just bring it out then?” Yuuri asked, frustration lacing his voice.

“Viktor, I really do not understand how difficult it is to carry a tray out the castle doors. I can guarantee that any one of the people you talk to will gladly take whatever food is meant for me.” Sighing deeply, Yuuri only buried his face in the blankets, finding the soft texture of the blankets rather reassuring, and as much as he didn’t want to admit it, Viktor’s scent was also quite relaxing. It confused him to a point where he was so frustrated on why he couldn’t understand why it affected him so much, that he wanted to cry. He hated Viktor, the omega honestly very much hated him, and he hated even more that his presence was comforting whilst also bringing him discomfort. It was extremely conflicting, which once more added to his already high anxiety.

Then Viktor was gone again, and Yuuri was left to his lonesome.

Yuuri was already rather exhausted, so not long after the omega had finally allowed himself to relax in the nesting materials, he was fast asleep.

Viktor felt rather confused. He lay in his bed and stared up at the ceiling, allowing the fire in his room to warm him from the harsh Northern cold outside. Winters were tough. Snow fell rapidly onto the ground and coated it in a sheet of sparkling white. Why did Yuuri say he disliked him when his scent said otherwise? It was obvious to anyone with a nose. Viktor could tell that his presence at least calmed Yuuri just a smidge if anything, yet the omega still wanted him to be away from him almost all of the time.

He hadn’t wanted to kidnap Yuuri. If it were his choice, he wouldn’t have done that. He thought that this whole war and compromising thing was useless, but he had to partake in it nonetheless. Unless without reason, Viktor was required to do everything that the king asked of him. The king had reason behind his motives and Viktor understood them well. He couldn’t reject a plan with reason that could potentially benefit Kolechia as a whole in the long run.

So… why did Yuuri not understand that? Was he just looking for someone to hate and to blame? Was Viktor the source for all of that hatred to fester on? Viktor didn’t like the cold feeling that thought left him with. He felt a strange amount of grief and began questioning his line of work.

Sleep covered over him soon enough and he lay asleep until morning when the roosters outside crooned.


	8. January 7th (6:45 (sunrise) to around 10:50)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a big boy chapter  
> Also, I'm sorry for any spelling mistakes, I tried editing the best I can, but it's hard doing it alone without any outside input

Yuuri’s body was past the point of exhaustion.

He likely would have slept for the entirety of the day, but of course the servant arrived the same time every single morning like clockwork. And just as she usually did, the beta remained silent. As soon as the the familiar sound of the door opening was heard, Yuuri was jostled into consciousness, eyes fluttering open.

Yuuri took a deep breath before yawning, outstretching his limbs before moving so he could sit up.

The beta stepped over towards the bed, and placed the tray on the small circular table, the same as she normally did, but as she turned to leave, Yuuri opened his mouth to speak.

“Please… I do not want to waste this… Bring it back, or-or just eat it yourself. I need them to understand I’m serious.”

Turning to view Yuuri, the woman let out a small sigh.

“Not eating isn’t going to make them do anything except force food down your throat. You think they will move you? Well they won’t, you’re in this room for a reason, and I do not think the king would like the thought of moving you… I will be back for the tray in an hour, if anything take a few bites. I’m not in the mood to listen to the cooks complain about your idiotic regency.”

Yuuri looked away out of embarrassment, his gaze turning to the tray just a few feet from his bed. It was one thing to know that people didn't like him, but it was completely different to hear that the castle was gossiping about him.

Did the whole kingdom hate him?

Yuuri didn’t even bother hiding the distress in his scent, burying himself in the blankets, his scent permeating the air around him.

After getting ready and doing all of the morning duties he needed to tend to, Viktor checked the weather. Snow was piled high and he doubted his horse would enjoy running out too far. So instead, he figured that checking on Yuuri to see if he ate or not would be more productive in everyone’s case.

Viktor approached Yuuri’s room and immediately could pick up the scent of a distraught omega permeating from the door. Viktor knocker quietly before opening the door and peeking inside.

“Yuuri?”

The alpha didn’t see him anywhere.

Stepping into the room and locking the door behind him, Viktor looked around until he saw a lump hiding underneath the covers on the bed. The stressed scent was strongest here. Viktor curiously peeled the blanket back and saw Yuuri curled up, appearing to try and hide.

“What’s wrong? What are you doing?” He noticed the bedside table and the tray of food that had very obviously recently been placed there but not touched at all. The alpha looked back down at Yuuri with a worried crease between his brows.

“Are you still not eating? Do you feel sick?”

Unsure of how long he had been hiding under his mountain of nesting materials, upon hearing the knock at the door, Yuuri first assumed it was the beta servant again, and couldn’t help his scent souring even further with his distress. But instead of the beta, he was met by the sound of Viktor’s voice, something which simultaneously made him relieved yet even more anxious. Viktor had told him that he needed to eat, and Yuuri didn’t listen to him, was the alpha going to get mad and snap at him? He was fully aware that his thought process was irrational, but with how stressed he was, it was no surprise that his mind was running a mile a minute.

Yuuri wasn’t able to stay hidden much longer, because Viktor was pulling the blankets off of him, making him shiver as the sharpness of the cold air reached his previously warm skin.

“I’m laying down, leave me be Viktor. It was bad enough you ruined my nest, is pulling me from the comfort of my blankets necessary?” The words came out softly, and he weakly reached over to pull them back over his body, but left his head exposed.

“I did not realize the extent of my captivity also included being interrogated, but yes, I am not eating. I am not sick, at least I do not think I am, but soon I will be the longer I do not eat. If you do not want to wake up and find me dead in this room, then I suggest you tell your king I want to be moved somewhere of my choosing, somewhere I feel safe.”

Viktor listened to the ultimatum given to him by the anxious and frustrated omega. Truthfully, the prisoner shouldn’t have this much power over anyone in the kingdom. But Viktor couldn’t help it; he felt like he needed to help Yuuri through this and feel more comfortable. He’d naturally grown a little attached to the prince with how much time they’d been spending together, and even if Yuuri was often isolated and quite rude, Viktor couldn’t deny that he was beginning to view Yuuri more as a friend than foe.

“Well, I… I’m not sure how that would go. If I were to explain the situation to him, he’d either force feed you or allow you to die… he’s unlikely to comply in any way with an enemy.” The alpha sighed, obviously trying to work out the situation in his head. He wasn’t sure what to do. Yuuri was a stubborn and spoiled little brat, but Viktor knew that Yuuri was special.

He was something worth saving.

“Maybe if I give him suggestions of places where to move your captivity to then he would be more likely to comply. Do you have any ideas or preferences? And if I am able to get you moved to another room… you have to promise me you’ll begin eating again.”

Viktor looked at Yuuri with eyes full of determination. He wanted to do this for Yuuri and he’d face the king if needed, but he just needed a little push from the omega first.

Yuuri smiled softly, looking up at Viktor through his lashes as he cuddled himself into the blankets, making sure to scent the blanket that Viktor had scented for him. The alpha was beginning to give in to Yuuri’s wants much easier now that he had just last week. It made him feel not so weak to see the alpha nearly bending over backwards to make sure Yuuri had what he wanted. Well, he wasn’t quite there yet, but soon enough he would be.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t force feed me though, right? You’ve promised me that you wouldn’t hurt me, so I’m going to trust that you wouldn’t allow someone to force my mouth open and shove food down my throat.”

He was playing on the alpha’s natural instincts to protect a frightened omega, and perhaps if he made Viktor feel big and strong, the other would allow him more freedoms, maybe eventually let him outside where Yuuri could plan an escape.

“I would prefer a room with an actual wardrobe room, something nice and compact so I can build my nest without feeling worrisome. I rather do like the window, so perhaps something with a window I can glance out of. I do enjoy the fireplace as well, and then also a room that has a bathing room so when needed, I could request a servant to fetch me hot water.”

Rolling over onto his back, Yuuri made a show of turning his gaze at Viktor, leaving his neck slightly exposed in a sign of submission.

“You’ll get me a safer room, right Viktor?”

Yuuri’s behavior had shifted tremendously. He was acting more comfortable and open now, and Viktor had to wonder why. He could be dense at times, but he absolutely wasn’t an idiot. The omega was definitely trying something. Viktor just couldn’t wrap his head around what yet.

Nonetheless, Yuuri’s show of submission and open trust had Viktor stammering. He’d never experienced anything of the sort from any omega before rather than ones trying to bribe him out of his knightly duties.

Was Yuuri trying to bribe him in some way?

Viktor’s eyes were wide and he stared up at the ceiling awkwardly to avoid staring at Yuuri instead. He didn’t know what to do in this situation and he felt both unsettled and intrigued at the same time.

“Um, I… yes? I mean, I’ll definitely try to get you a new room. Uh…”

The alpha looked back down at the utterly submissive Yuuri and a gasp of sorts left his mouth. Soon he was leaving the room in a hurry to go discuss this with the king. After explaining the whole situation and concerns with the king, Viktor moved to bow and retreat back to Yuuri’s current room with the new information.

“Yuuri? Uh, I’ve gotten you a new room? But the king wants to make sure this isn’t some kind of trial. He’s demanded that you eat at least one full meal before tomorrow and then I’ve gotten permission to move you to a new room. If you don’t eat, then…” Viktor shrugged awkwardly while thinking of the outcome which wouldn’t be beneficial to anyone.

“You can move rooms as soon as tomorrow as long as you finish a meal today.”

Yuuri was proud of himself for being able to fluster the alpha. After the omega had exposed his neck, the alpha’s cheeks had dusted a light red, and he grew so awkward that it left Yuuri feeling quite powerful. Maybe instead of putting up a fight, if he just played the good, cute little omega, cooing at Viktor, that he would be able to get the things he wanted.

Then Viktor left the room to talk to the king, and Yuuri felt his excitement bubbling.

Standing from the bed, Yuuri folded the blankets he had been using to sleep with, wanting to make everything neat and clean, considering he’d likely be able to change rooms. He sorted through his thoughts, trying to decide what else he could do to make Viktor do what he wanted when the alpha returned.

Apparently all Yuuri needed to do was eat, which was something he was more than willing to do if it meant he would be getting a nicer room.

“I’ll eat, I promise. I know what the servant brought isn’t as warm as it first was, but I’ll eat it.” He then sat himself back down on the mattress, pulling the tray onto his lap.

“You know, maybe you could scent my nesting materials? You did offer, and it would make building my nest a much nicer experience.” As Yuuri spoke, he batted his eyes at the alpha, watching him intently as he ate.

“No one would dare bother me if my nest smelt like such a strong alpha.”

“What’s gotten into you? All I had to do was ask for your room to be changed and suddenly you’re a completely different person. I’m a little concerned.” Viktor said honestly, raising a brow in suspicion. He sat down beside Yuuri on the bed as the omega began to eat.

As long as he finished that meal, then he’d have a new room by tomorrow.

“What — nobody is going to bother you regardless of whether your sheets smell like an alpha or not! That’s not something you need to worry about. But… yes, I will scent your things if it will make you feel a bit safer.” Viktor couldn’t help but succumb to the way Yuuri was behaving right now. With the lack of time he’d spent with omegas due to his work position, well… This was completely new territory. Viktor had never been interested in this sort of thing, if it could even be called a thing, but he was liking the positive attention from Yuuri rather than the cold shoulder he usually received from the prince.

Viktor picked up one of Yuuri’s soft nesting blankets and got to work scenting it. It smelled slightly of Yuuri. Viktor sound that the scent was sweet and pleasant. He began to rub the fabric against his scent glands, thoroughly scenting the blanket in his pheromones.

“Like this?”

“Well my temperament has changed because I feel much more secure with the thought that soon I will be in a room where I am able to feel safe.” Yuuri maintained with keeping his nonchalant facade up until the point where Viktor moved to sit next to him. Only then did he tense up, nearly dropping his fork from the sudden closeness. It still never ceased to make the omega freeze up whenever in the close presence of any alpha, and the fact that Viktor was sitting only a foot away just made it even worse.

“What?” He nearly stuttered after a moment, and moments later his brain remembered what Viktor had said.

“Oh, well honestly I do not think you understand the power of an alpha’s scent for omegas. It’s very common for omegas to have some of their most used items scented by the alphas in their life so that it would help ward off any unwanted other alphas; and yes, like that. If you wouldn’t mind scenting the rest of the materials, then I believe it would be sufficient.” He turned his gaze away from Viktor to his plate and returned to finish eating the bit of bread that was left.

“Hmm, I don’t find myself becoming deterred by another alpha’s scent often, but mostly it just makes me feel a bit more weary and alert,” Viktor commented when Yuuri explained how useful an alpha’s scent could be. “But maybe that’s because I’ve never caught scent of another alpha’s pheromones on any of my property. I’m sure that would rile me up.”Viktor folded the blanket back up and set it at the foot of the bed when he was done scenting it. Next he unfolded a sheet and began rubbing his scent glands against it to drench it in his scent.

The alpha didn’t notice how offhandish Yuuri was behaving due to the close proximity.He was used to Yuuri giving him the cold shoulder so often that he just assumed it was part of his personality, no matter how undesirable it seemed.

Viktor scented the rest of the bedding and clothing items for Yuuri and folded them aside when he was done with them. Now Yuuri would have an entire bed full of calming alpha scent for when he needed to feel secure.

“I suppose you’ll enjoy having a larger window to gaze out of. Your new room has a pretty big one next to the fireplace.” Viktor said, trying to make conversation while the omega finished up his meal.

Yuuri finished eating while Viktor scented the last of his bedding. He set his empty plate on the circular bedside table, then moved closer to Viktor, but only so he could grab all the folded up bedding and arrange them in a pile that soothed his anxiety.

“Oh that would be nice… I hope it’s a bit closer to the ground so that I can actually see some of the details of the outdoors… It’s awfully annoying having everything in a thick blur of color.” As he spoke to scooted back over so there was a little more space between them after he had moved closer to sort his bedding.

“Would you happen to have any idea of when they’ll be moving me tomorrow? I would at least prefer having some time to rest properly, though my excitement might keep me up a bit longer. Do you know how big the room is? Is the bed big enough for me to build a nest or will I have to find a corner in the room? Is there a washroom that I’m able to bathe in? Do you know if there is anyone staying in any of the nearby rooms?”

Viktor seemed startled by the onslaught of questions shot at him in quick succession.

“Woah, woah, slow down! I can’t answer them all like that if you’re going to ask them so quickly and give no room for a response,” Viktor laughed, actually enjoying the cute moment between him and Yuuri. The omega looked to be so excited for his new room, not for release. Which was maybe a good thing? Viktor decided it was a good thing. Maybe Yuuri had acknowledged that he may be here for a while before he’s either rescued or a war breaks out. Either way, it wouldn’t be anytime soon.

“It’s larger than this room. It’s pretty much the same as my room, I think. It’s right across the hall, directly beside my room, actually. So you won’t be any closer to the ground, but at least the conditions will be nicer… there’s room for a nest and a large washroom. I think you’ll find it to be suitable.” Viktor crossed his legs where he was sitting on the bed beside Yuuri. Somehow, it didn’t seem as strange as it had once used to.

Yuuri was pleased with the new change in events.

Though his sweetness towards Viktor was vastly faked, it was seeming to leave Viktor much happier, and much more willing to bend over backwards for Yuuri’s wishes and requests. It was making his stay in Kolechia much less miserable now that he sort of accepted that he would be living here until further notice.

Yuuri lifted his legs onto the mattress, crossing them as he turned to face Viktor.

“So the room is next to your own? Isn’t that a bit weird having an alpha and an omega rooming so close to one another when both are unmated? I feel at least there should be a bit of space between our rooms. My mother would have a heart attack if she knew that I was all but sharing a room with an alpha whom we both had no intentions of me mating.”

Viktor raised a brow. He shrugged, suddenly feeling sheepish that Yuuri would bring up such a taboo topic.

“Well, you must remember that I’m in charge of keeping you here in place. The king has put the strongest alpha in charge of making sure you don’t try to escape nor that potential knights from Enkyo try to come and take you back. I’ve been stationed so close to you because I’m on watch duty, basically.” It wasn’t just him boasting about being the strongest alpha knight in the kingdom. The king and his subjects had literally said the same — Viktor had only quoted their reasoning.

“But I can understand why you might find that strange. Trust me that it’s only for safety precautions. The king was the one to decide where you’d be residing, not me. I had no say in it other than just bringing the subject up to him.”

Viktor sat in silence with Yuuri for a bit. A sigh left his lips.

“What do you miss most about Enkyo right now? If you don’t mind me asking, of course. I’m only curious.”

Yuuri kept a firm gaze on Viktor as the other explained the king’s reasoning for placing Yuuri so close to the dorming of alphas. Whilst he understood that Kolechia supported more western ideas when it came to omegas, Enkyo was still rather in the old world, as they supported rather heavy traditional ideals, which meant that Yuuri was rather uncomfortable with having his nest so vulnerable to anyone who held a key to his room.

He was drawn from his light thoughts as Viktor asked him a question.

“Hm?” Viktor was asking him what he missed the most, and immediate two things came to mind, one from the omega half and the other from the human side.

The omega half wanted to say his nest, that without it he felt unsafe and constantly on edge. But the human half wanted to say his mother, the one person who kept him grounded and secure.

So ultimately he decided both.

“Oh, um… my nest and my mother, though both I suppose could coincide with one another… Back in my home Enkyo, every single night I would lounge in my nest and my mother would comb fancy oils into my hair that she traded from the Roman Empire, and she would tell me stories of her and my father’s adventures from before he became emperor. And then afterwards she would talk to me about my fiance, and then she would kiss my head and wish me wonderful dreams and a safe sleep… Without her I am quite lonely and quite sad… I eagerly await the day I can return home and embrace my mother… Perhaps I’ll convince my father to call off my engagement so I am allowed to stay home for a bit longer… No offense to you, but as an alpha I wouldn’t expect you to understand what it is like to steal an omega from their home, or to steal an omega’s pup from them. My mother must be devastated, and I pray she is going well.”

Viktor listened silently, his mind focused on the way Yuuri spoke so fondly of his mother and his family and the place he missed most of all. The alpha knew how emotionally taxing having a family member taken away was. Viktor understood it all too well.

“I wouldn’t expect you to assume that I’d understand as an alpha. But trust me, I know all too well what you’re speaking of. I’ve been a knight for a long time. I’ve almost experienced all there is to experience. I understand what you’re saying, and I hope that you’ll forgive me one day for following through with my orders.”

They were left in silence. Viktor wanted to ask more about Yuuri’s family. He was curious — a family seemed like such a foreign subject to him — almost otherworldly.

He’d had family. They’d been taken from him.

That’s why Viktor had decided to pursue the path of knighthood. He wanted to become strong enough to defend all that he loved from even the strongest opponent. But maybe he’d chosen that path a bit too late. For now, he had handed his life over to the kingdom that had raised him. Viktor would protect them and serve them for the rest of his days.

“And what about your sister? Do you miss her? I remember you mentioning her a while ago.”

Yuuri didn’t fully believe that Viktor 100% understood what he was feeling, though he knew the alpha was trying, so he decided to take pity on him and not comment on it. Then Viktor brought up Mari, Yuuri’s sister, and found himself slipping deeper into sadness. He had always been close to his older sister, practically attached to her hip, following her around to her political/economic meetings with the court and their father.

“Oh… yes I miss her too.” He said softly, playing with the skirt of his dress.

“She’s the crown princess Katsuki Mari, since she is the first born, and also an alpha. She’s never treated me like I’m lesser than her, we were best friends ever since we were children. As the crown omega prince of Enkyo, I was never really allowed to have friends, so all I had was my family, and the betas who were assigned to help me dress every morning.” Yuuri then let out a soft sigh before clearing his throat, moving carefully to stand from the mattress, suddenly becoming aware that he was sitting dangerously close to an omega on his bed.

“I am going to restart the fire, it’s getting awfully cold and these dresses in the wardrobe that I’m supposed to wear, are old and thin, and provide no warmth.”

Viktor watched sadly as Yuuri stood up from the bed and moved toward the fireplace. The alpha snapped out of his thoughts and stood as well.

“Ah, let me. I hadn’t even realized it had gone out.” Viktor spoke, softly ushering Yuuri back toward the bed for now. The knight took the metal container of dragon oil off of the shelf above the fireplace and dripped a few drops onto the wood pieces in the hearth.

Viktor grabbed a few logs of wood from the side and tossed them into the fireplace, lighting a match afterward and lighting the wood on fire. He tossed the match into it as well.

He wanted to ask more about Yuuri. He was insanely curious — like the omega was some sort of book that he had yet to discover all of the pages of.

“So… you don’t have any friends?” Viktor asked, brushing his hands off. Being royalty sounded really boring and lonely. He was glad he hadn’t been born into that.

“Were you ever allowed outside? Did you attend school?”

All of this was new information to Viktor, and since Enkyo didn’t run their system just as Kolechia did, Viktor found out that most things were different in the two territories. He wanted to know more.

As soon as Viktor had motioned for Yuuri to step away, he had returned to the bed, his legs crossed as he sat and watched Viktor start the fire again.

Once the familiar orange flame was back, Yuuri moved towards the chair that Viktor usually sat in, and sat down. He normally would never sit there, but he was quite cold and needed the warmth.

“That’s quite a random question, but no… I don’t have any friends. And I was allowed outside, but only if I had guards accompany. I was never allowed to leave the castle grounds unless accompanied by my parents or my sister.” Yuuri fiddled with his hands in his lap as he stared at the fire.

“And about going to school, no, I wasn’t allowed a tutor. I’m an omega prince, my only duty is to marry and provide children for my husband. How smart I am is not an issue, I am lucky to have been taught basic reading skills. I do not know how to write though, but that does not matter because there will be nothing I need to write. Anything requiring a written signature is to be signed by whomever my husband is, since he will know what is best for me.”

Viktor was quite appalled at Yuuri’s response. So this meant that the omega was the furthest from home that he’d ever been… no wonder why he was having such a hard time adjusting, even under unfortunate circumstances such as these. But what really shocked the alpha was the way Yuuri spoke so carefree about handing over his own self to another person. Perhaps this was a custom in Kolechia as well, but Viktor wouldn’t know. He never studied relations or marriage customs between alpha and omega. He never had an interest nor did he become curious until now.

Viktor stared at Yuuri for a moment.

He blinked.

“You… and you’re fine with all of this? You’re fine with just handing your body over? You’re fine with someone else making all of your decisions for you?”

And Yuuri’s only job was to bear children.

That seemed like a terribly easy job.

Viktor was quiet for another moment, trying to get the information to sink into his head.

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you weren’t royalty?”

Viktor seemed deeply disturbed by Yuuri’s response, and the omega couldn’t figure exactly what was wrong with it.

Yuuri had grown up with the knowledge of what his future would hold, but finally saying it out loud, and to see someone else’s reaction sort of made him feel guilty and a bit dirty about it.

“Well why wouldn’t I be okay with it?…” He asked with a defensive tone.

“I’m an omega, not only that, but an omegan prince. I hold no value other than a tool my father can use to wage a treaty with whatever kingdom he decides… It is not as disgusting as you seem to think it is. I quite like my having to make any decisions, it leaves me stress free and able to avoid aging of the face.” Then Viktor asked if Yuuri regretted being royalty, and answering truthfully was not an option. Saying he wished to he a simple nobleman’s wife or just an omega nobleman’s son would show weakness.

“Perhaps only passing thoughts, but I am perfectly content and happy with being a prince.”

Viktor seemed like he still didn’t understand exactly what Yuuri was talking about. The idea that he viewed himself as nothing more than a tool really just rubbed the alpha the wrong way. Weren’t all royalty supposed to be stuck up and snobby, thinking of themselves as nothing less than a god? Yuuri seemed to crush all of Viktor’s assumptions. But not in a very good way.

“You hold no value? No, I can assure you, you’re worth more than you think… you’re not just an object. You’re a human being, and royalty has made you think otherwise…” Viktor caught sight of the moonlight from outside pouring into the room through the makeshift window.

A window…

“Say, if I could somehow… make it happen… would you like to experience living like a normal person? There’s so much you haven’t seen, there’s so much you haven’t done… it would be a shame to just waste your life away.”

The alpha looked back at Yuuri.

“Would you take the chance? I’m not saying it’ll happen, but it would be nice to just imagine. I’d like to see you do simple, everyday tasks like go to the market or visit the farmlands. There’s so much to do.”

For a moment, Yuuri had forgotten that he was supposed to be maintaining a nonchalant expression towards the thought of not being royalty. Viktor was offering him an opportunity to just be Yuuri; and well, before he realized what he was doing his scent went light with excitement. It very quickly crashed when Yuuri realized that it would only ever be temporary, and forced his emotions back inside, replacing the expression on his face with an emotionless smile.

“That’s unnecessary Viktor. I appreciate the kind offer, but I am perfectly content with my status, and to do commoner activities would be something no one of my status should ever have to do.” But as much as Yuuri wanted to deny it, oh he wanted so very badly to wash his clothes in the creek, hang them on a clothesline to dry before going inside to make his mate lunch.

He wanted all the stupid commoner activities, because the commoner omegas always looked so happy as they all did their chores with their groups of friends, their laughter echoing into castle garden, where Yuuri always sat alone.

“Besides…-“ Yuuri added after a moment “-my future husband would not like the idea of his pretty omega getting his hands dirty doing menial tasks, or unnecessarily associating myself with commoners.”

Viktor leaned in, curiously studying Yuuri. The omega had been taught in ways to protect himself from the outside world. He clearly didn’t know any better and had wrong perceptions, whether taught or created, roaming in his head.

“It’s not like you have to do these normal activities. You’ve never had to do anything in your life. Why not try doing something for once?” The alpha physically had to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

“Who cares about your future husband? If he really is destined to be your husband, then he will take you any way you are, yes? I’m sure that doing one simple normal human task isn’t going to make him call an entire marriage off.”

If Yuuri viewed commoners as something not to be associated with, considered them to be shameful and disrespectful to his title, then Viktor wondered what Yuuri viewed him as. A barbarian? A dirty killing machine? A one-man army?

“What are you so afraid of? Commoners are people. You’re a person, too, and I think royalty figures tend to forget that fact. Just because you were raised differently doesn’t mean anything. All of us will die someday, under the same soil, eaten by the same worms. Talking to someone of a different living status is not going to hurt you.”

As Viktor leaned closer to Yuuri, his cheeks flushed a deep red and he was already sitting so close to the wall that he couldn’t exactly move away. 

“And do what? I don’t do anything! I sit in this room, alone, all day long and wait for my meals and for my only social contact which happens to be with an alpha, an unmated alpha who also kidnapped me.” Hesitantly, Yuuri reached forward to gently nudge Viktor away so he wasn’t leaning so close to him.

“My engagement to Tokugawa Leyasu happens to be very important to my father, so it is very important to me. He prefers his omegas a certain way, and it is my duty to uphold that façade to appease him. I do not care if you think lowly of me, because I am not trying to impress you. My fears are not the subject of interest at the moment, and in fact, it is something I would rather forget not talk about. And I would rather you not push me further. I do not want to increase in anger and say something that could possibly cause harm to be brought upon me.”

Yuuri was absolutely terrified to admit that he was actually deeply interested in pretending he wasn’t a prince for a day, and engage in commoner’s activities. It was something that would severely lower his status and bring shame against him and his fiancé.

Viktor stared at Yuuri for a moment like the omega was speaking a completely different language. He let out a strangled groan and flopped back onto Yuuri’s bed, laying on his back, his hands over his face.

“I don’t understand. I don’t understand why you feel like you have no worth other than to just do what others expect of you. I truly, truly don’t get it. I don’t know why you treat yourself so lowly in order to make others treat you highly.” The knight had a frown on his face as he stared up at the ceiling.

“I hate royalty.” Viktor didn’t know how else to explain to Yuuri that the life he was living was corrupt and wasn’t true to himself; but deep down, he knew the omega wasn’t that stupid. He knew the omega knew.

“It’s not like being here is any different from being back at your castle; you don’t do anything there, either. That’s your job: doing absolutely nothing and somehow being praised for it. I don’t get it. That doesn’t sound very rewarding, does it?”

“Well you’re an alpha, and I’m a royal born omega prince. I would not exactly expect you to understand why I need to do certain things.”

As Viktor exasperatedly threw himself on the bed, Yuuri rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“Oh you hate royals? Well I certainly hate the Kolechian knights as well.” He turned to face the fire, away from Viktor, and let himself soak in the heat.

“What are you trying to get out of this argument? that I hate being royalty? That I would for once like to enjoy what it is like to truly live by my own choices without facing severe repercussions? My wants and wishes do not matter. I can dream all I’d like; and while it may seem as if I’m doing nothing, I’m living a different life in my own mind. So if you would drop the subject I would appreciate it. Why don't we speak of your life and how you’re basically a slave to the crown? Is that a topic you’d like to deeply discuss with a stranger?”

“I just hate the way royals think and the way they think of themselves. I think it’s rather degrading; but, if it’s how you want to think about yourself, then go ahead. I’d rather live my life believing i can make my own decisions and handle the repercussions. I like to believe I have free will. I am not a slave to the crown — I choose to do what I please. If serving my kingdom in a way that gives me free will and allows me to be loyal at the same time seems reckless… then so be it.”

Viktor crossed his arms across his chest and stared up at the ceiling, the crackling of the fire filled the slight gap of silence.

“I’d be fine deeply discussing it with anyone if only to clarify what my purpose is and why I’m free to do as I want. I don’t want anyone to think I don’t have that ability because it’s not true. I’d gladly die for my kingdom on my own volition. Nobody is there to tell me how I can and can’t die. I choose that for myself and myself only.” Viktor didn’t understand why Yuuri had this idea in his head that he was worthless or not smart enough to choose his own fate. As frustrating as it was, Viktor wished he could somehow make Yuuri see otherwise.

Yuuri expected Viktor to grow defensive talking about his knighthood towards Kolechia, but the alpha was so completely fixated in serving the country he loves, that Yuuri really didn’t know how to argue with that. It stressed him out even more that Viktor had nearly chipped off a whole wall of Yuuri’s defenses. Never before had he ever thought to confide his deepest wishes before, and yet here Viktor was making Yuuri almost want to yell them in his face, even if to just prove a point that he wasn’t living a degrading slave-like life; but he had spent the last nineteen years with a tight lipped smile, and would likely continue to spent the rest of his life continuing the same.

Being in Kolechia had brought about feelings Yuuri didn’t even know he had. Sure he had always surprised dreams about being a simple nobleman’s omega, but to finally having to defend his current lifestyle against the suppressed dreams he’d always had were proving to be quite distressful, and brought to the surface feelings he didn’t know he had.

“I do not want to talk about my life and my dreams anymore. I am uncomfortable and refuse to continue on the subject.”

“That’s fine. but you do know you can’t run away from your dreams forever, right? they’ll keep coming back up. You’ll have to discuss them sooner or later. Maybe you won’t discuss them with me, but you’ll discuss them with someone.”

Viktor heard the sounds of faint wind rattling against the makeshift window. his eyes kept trained on the ceiling.

“Let’s talk about my dreams, then.” The alpha turned over onto his side to face Yuuri, even if the prince wasn’t looking back at him.

“I dream that one day noblemen and royalty members will one day eat at the same table as commoners and lesser people without feeling uncomfortable. I dream that they will be able to share conversations and overlook each other’s social statuses. I dream that royalty will someday find compassion in their hearts and will take responsibility for everyone in their kingdoms — not just the richest people.”

The alpha had clearly been thinking about issues such as this for quite a while. He could only hope that what he said struck Yuuri’s heart in such a way that he could bring it back to his own kingdom when he was transported back and would apply these ideals.

“When you think about it, it’s not too fair, is it?”

“Don’t tell me what I can and cannot do. If I want to ignore my thoughts and continue living the way I am, then I will do it, and I will not let you change it. We can talk about your dreams all you want, but mine are currently off the list of acceptable topics.” He could feel Viktor’s eyes staring at him, so Yuuri focused on staring out the window. Viktor did have a few good point with what he was hoping for, and while Yuuri agreed, he wasn’t going to admit to the alpha that he actually sort of would like to see it happen.

“I suppose I can see how it can be interpreted as unfair… Though I have no experience with the royal court, other than sitting while my father negotiated the terms of my engagement. It does make quite little sense to have my dinner table covered in the finest of cuisine whilst there are children starving in the streets… There isn’t much I can do, I hold no political power whatsoever, nor would my father take my advice.”

“But you can do something.” Viktor responded, his voice soft and calm. “You think you’re just trapped in whatever space your parents put you in. while you may be trapped here in this castle as of now, it won’t be that way forever. You still have quite a large amount of political power, regardless of what you may think. Being part of the royal family means you hold lots of interest with your people. Your subjects would be willing to listen to you because of your status.”

Maybe it wasn’t the same in Enkyo as it was in Kolechia. maybe omegas weren’t listened to or their feelings weren’t taken into consideration; but in Kolechia, things were different.

Omegas weren’t treated any differently. They had about as much power as alphas. Although they were only assigned to certain jobs in the workforce, they had a much better reputation than in most kingdoms.

“You can do so much. you’ve just been taught your whole life that you can’t.”

“Viktor I’ve been asking you quite nicely to please stop talking about it and yet you continue…” Yuuri said a little harsher than he intended.

“You are building my hopes up to a life i could possibly live, yet I know how this will end for me. if Leyasu sees that the omega he is to wed is so outspoken in politics, then he will surely leave me, which will harshen the feelings between our countries. Enkyo has a weak army compared to Kolechia, and if we are to war with you, which we surely will considering you kidnapped me, then we need the military support he can offer if we wish to win. But none of that can happen if I wish to live of my own happiness. I have a duty to follow, and I need to do it. I may not be smart, I'm unable to read nor write, but I do understand that I need to be a pretty face and a submissive omega for my husband to be… You are making this very difficult for me by trying to convince me to follow my dreams, so please stop else I might do something out of personal interest that harms my country.”

Viktor held his palms up and backed off. Clearly he wasn’t getting anywhere with this omega, so there wasn’t any point in trying.

“Alright, alright… I understand. Although I do not understand why you are so stuck on this idea of being nothing more than a pretty picture, I understand that you wish to quit speaking of it.”

A moment of silence passed through them. Viktor sighed.

“Maybe admitting that your army is weak isn’t the best thing to say to an enemy.” Viktor laughed. it wasn’t very valuable information, but still. Downsizing your own country’s power so openly didn’t do anything to prevent war or a takeover. If Yuuri had told the wrong person, they could take that information and do bad things with it.

“Say, what do you think would happen if our countries went to war? Just curious. I’d like to know your opinion.”

Yuuri deflated a bit when Viktor cemented on Yuuri admitting Enkyo’s weak defenses.

“Oh…”

He mentally beat himself up, gaze turned downward as he held his hands tightly in his lap. How could he be so stupid and say something that Viktor could relay to the king. By the morning a whole troop of men could arrive and demolish the Enkyen army and Yuuri would none the wiser.

“This is why I am not allowed to sit in on important reasons… I do not know the things I can say, and the things I should not say. If you could pretend I did not admit that, then I would be grateful… my father would be incredibly angry with me if he knew how friendly I spoke to our enemy, my fiance as well, Leyasu likely would want to call off the engagement if he knew he was marrying an incompetent omega.” Yuuri chewed at his lip nervously as he let out a soft sigh before standing up.

“I’ve got to use the washroom. Excuse me for a moment.”

Viktor waved his hand nonchalantly. “Don’t worry, it won’t leave this room. I am not a spy, but rather just a knight. The status of someone else’s kingdom is not of my concern. I’m concerned with my own.”

The alpha didn’t mind. He’d definitely make himself forget that careless fact that Yuuri so openly spilled. but none of that information mattered to Viktor, so why should he care?

Yuuri also seemed to bring up the idea that his fiancé would call off the engagement a lot. That didn’t sound like a very happy relationship to be living in. At any small mistake that Yuuri made, he feared that he wouldn’t become married. He shouldn’t have to live his relationship in fear. Viktor found it to be ridiculous.

“Alright. I’ll put some more wood into the fire while you’re in the washroom.”

Viktor got up from the bed and headed over to the firewood logs beside the fireplace and chucked a few into the flames. heat radiated from the strong fire and the alpha held his palms out to warm them.

After crossing into the bathroom, Yuuri pushed the door shut before looking at himself in the mirror. He looked absolutely horrendous. His hair was a mess, there were bags under his eyes, and his dress was quite a bit wrinkled.

“I need a bath…” He sighed, leaning back against the wall before rubbing at his eyes. One of the worst things about being in Kolechia was the fact that Yuuri wasn’t able to bathe every morning and night like he usually would.

He waited a few more minutes to sit in silence, before reentering the bedroom.

“If you wouldn’t mind Viktor, could you fetch me a few buckets of water to boil so that I may bathe? I am feeling rather uncomfortable at the moment and a bath would be the most effective at gathering my thoughts.”

Viktor turned his head when he heard the creak of the bathroom door opening.

“Ah, yes, I can do that. I’ll be back in a moment.”

Buckets of water were very heavy to carry. Viktor was strong, though — stronger than most of his alpha peers, so this wasn’t a hard task for him. Soon enough, he had carried four large buckets of water up to Yuuri’s room and worked on heating them over the fire.

“Would you like for me to ask a worker to come and help you?”

Although Viktor was the one that Yuuri knew the most in this unfamiliar land, he still wanted Yuuri to feel safe with an omegaen worker rather than uncomfortable with a familiar alpha knight.

Once the water had boiled and risen to a reasonable temperature, Viktor carried each bucket into the washroom and poured them into the tub, watching as the steam billowed up.

Yuuri had sat on his mattress while he waited for the water, and felt his mood lighten significantly when he saw the four buckets being brought through by the alpha. He then had the offer to be able to have a worker assist him in his bath, and while he didn’t want to admit it, it would be nice to finally feel sort of like royalty again with the assistance of a servant.

“I would appreciate that if an omega or beta could assist me…”

Yuuri gave Viktor a soft smile, then as the hot water was brought to the washroom, he stood in the doorway, the omega in him almost bursting with excitement at the thought of a nice, calming, hot bath.

“Thank you for filling my bath for me. the buckets are much too heavy for me to carry, and it would have been impossible for me to pour it in the tub without spilling the boiling water on myself.”

“It’s certainly alright. I have fought hundred-foot dragon's off before — carrying some buckets full of water is nothing.” Viktor laughed. he excused himself from Yuuri’s room and went to find a servant — most commonly of which were betas or omegas. as soon as he found one, he sent them to Yuuri’s room to help him.

He decided that since Yuuri would be soaking in the hot water for a while, he had some time to himself. Viktor had been missing the feeling of riding his horse and the wind that would blow through his hair, and thought that now was a better time than ever to relish in the relaxing feeling that riding typically brought.


	9. The Alpha and the Tarragon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is shorter than the previous chapter just because I got a headache halfway through editing what I originally planned to post, so enjoy this slight cliffhanger I left it on.

Soon enough, Viktor was perched on his horse’s saddle with Makkachin at his side. A few whips to the flank, and his pure white horse made a whinny before they were off patrolling the kingdom with the poodle following close behind him.

Although it was late in the day, most of the kingdom was still up and awake. Kolechians always tended to be productive most of the time.

A man was still out selling large eggs — presumably from a dragon of sorts. Viktor decided to purchase two from the man so he could cook them over Yuuri’s fire and allow the omega to try some of the spicy sweet flavor the eggs would provide.

Yuuri gave an appreciative smile, and after he was left alone, he started to undress. He folded his clothes nice and neatly atop his bed before returning to the washroom. Moments later a servant arrived, and when Yuuri went to give an introduction, it seemed the servant already knew who he was. So, Yuuri carefully stepped into the tub, and relaxed against the porcelain while the omegan servant washed his hair.

It felt nice to be pampered for the first time in the many weeks he had been in Kolechia, and he was going to make it his goal to have the servant assist him in more frequent baths, at least then Viktor would be forced to give Yuuri time alone. Eventually, enough time had passed so that the bathwater grew cold (apparently Yuuri had been exhausted enough that he had taken a nap), and the omega helped Yuuri out of the bath and into a dress from the wardrobe. since he had someone helping him change, the corset was able to he properly tightened, making him feel sort of like he was home and having a servant dress him there.

As soon as Viktor was back at the castle and heading up the stairs to Yuuri’s current room, he passed the omegan servant in the hallway as she left Yuuri’s room. Viktor gave her a quick thanks and knocked on Yuuri’s door.

“Yuuri, I got —“

It had been quite a while since Viktor had seen Yuuri in a corset. the last time being when they’d met for the first time under unfortunate circumstances.

“Oh. you look great! I’ve never thought corsets were too interesting, but you seem to know how to wear them well.” Viktor laughed as he shook some of the snowflakes from his hair like a wet dog shaking their pelt after a bath.

“I got some dragon eggs! I’m not sure what kind they are, the person I bought them from didn’t tell me. Would you like to try one? Do they have these in Enkyo for meals?” Viktor set one of the large eggs aside and worked on pulling a slate out over the fire. He cracked one over the heated stone — the yolk was big enough for two people to share, so he supposed the other could be used later. sizzling began to sound as the egg bubbled over the fire’s heat.

For some unknown, devilish reason, Yuuri liked that he had been momentarily able to take Viktor’s breath away, his cheeks dusted a soft red as the other looked him over.

“Th-Thank you…” Yuuri responded before quickly turning away so that he could look out the window, pretending that he wasn’t acutely aware of where Viktor was standing and what he was doing the entire time.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Viktor shake the snow out of his hair, it was just a boyish thing to do, and normally Yuuri would have chided the alpha, saying it’s not proper to behave in such a way around a royal omega, but Viktor’s words from earlier had knocked some hard sense into him, so instead he kept his mouth closed, unable to shed himself of the thought that he did find it sort of maybe cute.

“I’ve only consumed a dragon’s egg on a few special occasions. Since we only acquire our eggs from one hunter, it is considered a delicacy not many can enjoy, such being why I have only had it twice in my life.” The smell of the egg cooking was making Yuuri awfully hungry, though with his corset on, it would be difficult to eat very much.

“I would very much appreciate trying it though. I only need a bite or two to appease my hunger. You could have the rest.”

“A bite or two? Nooo, you’ve got to eat more than just that! It’ll be so good that you’ll want to eat more!” Viktor replied, humming as he fried the large egg and was careful not to pop the yellow yolk.

“We have lots of hunters who go out and gather eggs from nests once the knights have slain the dragons. So far, we’ve not been successful in holding a dragon in our care to have an endless supply of eggs, though.” Viktor laughed. “I've got a pretty big scar on my forearm from being burned by a dragon’s flame once. Then I learned that trying to tame and ride such a beast maybe isn’t the best decision. Wanna see?”

Viktor turned to Yuuri and rolled up his sleeve, displaying the pink, scarred over skin on his inner arm that led all the way up to his inner elbow.

“I think it’s rather neat. Kind of like a decoration of sorts on my skin.” He turned back to the fire and slid the slate off from over the top of it. Viktor unsheathed a knife from his pocket and easily slid it down the center of the egg, breaking the yolk in the process.

“Here, try it.”

Yuuri was actually interested in hearing Viktor talk about the dragon eggs. It was incredible how different Kolechia and Enkyo’s food supplies were, how one country could have a surplus of something, whilst the other had a drought of the same object. But then he heard the alpha mention an injury on his arm, and his body whipped around to grab ahold of Viktor’s arm.

“You were attacked by a dragon’s flame whilst trying to tame and fly it, and you lived? How stupid of you! You must be more careful from now on!” Yuuri scolded, still holding onto Viktor’s arm.

He was aware the eggs were finished, but he was frustrated that Viktor would be so careless, when it was obvious Yuuri cared for him.

Wait he what.

Yuuri immediately froze and pushed himself away from Viktor.

“I-I-I’m feeling unwell, I believe I should sit by the window in silence and sip from the water the servant brought with my dinner earlier…” Yuuri turned away, then moved to sit at his chair by the small circular table, making sure to face away from Viktor.

This was bad.

Very, _very_ bad.

Yuuri couldn’t like an alpha like Viktor. He was engaged to Leyasu, and Viktor was an enemy to Enkyo. If word got out, false rumors of Yuuri losing his innocence could surface and he would be banished from Enkyo for ruining his family’s name.

Viktor shrugged, not catching onto Yuuri’s intentions other than just regarding him as stupid for trying to tame a wild dragon.

“Well, you don’t know until you try, right? Maybe I could’ve been the first to ever take a dragon! wouldn’t that be incredible? I think I may make that my next goal. To train a dragon and keep it as my own. I could…”

He trailed off when Yuuri pushed himself away and secluded himself at the small round table.

“What — are you not feeling well? Should I get the doctor again?”

Maybe it’s because Yuuri still hadn’t eaten much and gotten the nutrition he needed to survive.

“Here, please try just a bite at least. I promise you’ll like it.”

Viktor approached the table and set the steaming slate down on the surface and cut a slice of the fried egg off for Yuuri to try.

“It might be a little spicy, so good thinking on having water nearby.” Viktor laughed. Neither of them noticed, but the other egg Viktor had purchased that sat inconspicuously in the corner of the room began shifting slightly.

When Viktor had only gotten closer to Yuuri instead leaving like he expected, his cheeks quickly tinted a deep red.

Sure he actually did want to try the dragon egg, but he had more pressing matters on his mind, like he wanted to drown himself in the alpha’s scent. For the past many weeks, Yuuri had been spending every single night sleeping in blankets that were covered in Viktor’s scent, and through time he found that the alpha’s scent calmed him and made him actually more relaxed than he’d ever been; then Viktor was cutting a piece of the egg, and Yuuri’s biggest fear at the moment was that Viktor would try to feed him, because if he did that Yuuri knew he would start purring, and that would be a complete embarrassment.

“Okay, I’m not too sick, just um… I can try the egg now, though I do like spicy foods, so I’m sure the taste will be nothing more than what I used to consume in Enkyo.” Reaching over to take the fork, Yuuri took a bite of the egg. With a small hum, Yuuri smiled brightly and closed his eyes as he chewed.

“Oh my, I forgot how much I enjoyed the taste of these… Do you think that I could have some more often? Right now I do not have much to bargain with, but when I am freed, I will pay you for the money it costed.”

Viktor felt a smile stretch across his face. The idea that he’d be able to bring food back to Yuuri that he would actually eat calmed the alpha’s nerves a ton.

“Of course. You have no need to repay me. I slay dragons for a living, don’t you remember? I think I can sneak a few eggs away from the nests every once in a while.” The alpha took his own bite of the spicy egg and almost had forgotten how hot dragon eggs actually were. He scrunched his nose up and swallowed. Although the flavor was fantastic, the spicy sensation tingled on his tongue unpleasantly.

“Bleh,” He huffed, getting up from the table to search for some water to down. He came back into the room with a flask of his own and downed some of the chilled liquid before something caught his eye.

“Wha—“

The alpha stared at the other egg in the corner of the room. He swore he saw it rattling. A small crack appeared on the speckled shell before tiny claw poked out.


	10. A Welcome Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 4am right now and I've had a burst of energy and just edited the next three chapters worth of content, so luckily enough for those who are invested you'll be happy to know there will be more consistent updates

“Yuuri… did I accidentally buy a fertilized egg?!”

While Viktor was gone retrieving his flask, Yuuri had been sitting comfortably in his chair taking his time chewing each bite of the dragons egg, savoring the flavor. He had been completely oblivious to the egg practically rattling where it was leaning against the stone wall, near the fireplace where Viktor had set his things down.

When Viktor returned to Yuuri’s chambers, his half of the egg was completely gone, so he had just been sitting, sipping on the water from his flask while he warmed himself with the heat of the fire. Yuuri’s calmed and relaxed mood instantly flipped when a startling crack was heard coming from the egg. Scent filling with fear, Yuuri instinctively did what he was taught to do as an omega in danger, and hid himself behind Viktor, grasping on the cotton of his shirt tightly.

“You bought a baby dragon? Why would you do that! What if it tries to kill me? You did this on purpose!” He whined. Yuuri quickly snapped his mouth shut when the dragon let out small squeaking cries, like it had been looking for it’s mother. He peaked around Viktor’s body, watching the small thing carefully before hesitantly taking a step towards the baby dragon.

“I suppose it is sort of cute…”

Viktor couldn’t help but snort when Yuuri jumped to hide behind him. He looked over his shoulder and gave the omega a knowing glance full of a knowing grin. Yuuri had chosen Viktor to protect him from the unknown creature. Somehow, it filled him with pride.

“What? I didn’t know there was a living creature inside of the egg! I thought it wasn’t fertilized!” The alpha was about to dispute Yuuri’s claim of the baby dragon trying to kill him — Viktor had slain full sized monstrous dragons before, a baby one obviously wouldn’t be a problem; but a little squeak from the strange reptile startled Viktor back to the problem at hand.

Well, it wasn’t really a problem, more just like a weird situation. The little creature definitely wasn’t going to kill anyone or anything right now. It was just wriggling around, kicking its shell away from its slimy, mucusy body that was covered in the film from being inside of the egg.

“I… it is kind of cute.”

Viktor knelt down and got a closer look at the dragon which was just about the size of his boot. It hadn’t even opened its eyes yet — it was still getting used to being out of its shell and it squeaked and cawed for its mother.

“I can handle full grown dragons just fine. I know what to do with those, but, Yuuri, I really don’t know what to do with this.”

Yuuri carefully moved to kneel next to Viktor, watching the baby dragon with a curiously cautious gaze.

“Well… I don’t really think we should kill it. It’s just a baby, look at it. We can’t just slaughter an innocent little thing just because it’s sire likely killed an entire village.” Turning around, Yuuri grabbed one of the smaller blankets off the bed, and reached over to wrap it around the dragon.

“It desperately needs a bath. If it is to be living in this room, then it needs a clean body. This poor thing just came out of that nasty shell and smells terribly. There is still some water in my bathtub, though it was significantly cooled since i bathed.” Yuuri moved to stand, the baby dragon swaddled in his arms before he stepped into the washroom. As much as he was rather scared of the thing, it was a baby, and his omega instincts were to care for helpless creatures in need, and this baby dragon was definitely in need of care else it would be slaughtered.

“I’m not even sure if it is a boy or a girl. Viktor, tell me if this is a boy or a girl. I need to know so I know what to name it. I you haven’t guessed yet, I am keeping this dragon.”

Viktor was rather taken aback by Yuuri’s intentions to take care of this thing. Of course the alpha wouldn’t have killed it, but for Yuuri to so quickly take it in and care for it… Maybe that was the change that Yuuri needed.

If Yuuri were to keep this dragon, he would have to keep quiet about it and hide it any time any staff other than Viktor were to come into the room, and besides, where would it go once it grew up in a year or two? Although it was about the size of a boot now, it would grow to be twice the size of the castle later on.

The alpha only sighed, they’d figure that out later.

Yuuri seemed very content to care for this little creature that hadn’t even opened its eyes yet. Viktor supposed it wasn’t too bad — it would keep Yuuri company and could give him something to do.

“I could go find some raw meat in the morning, but how are you going to feed it? Dragons normally regurgitate food into their baby’s mouth. Maybe it eats greens, though?” Viktor wasn’t too sure yet. It was hard to tell, but he followed Yuuri into the bathroom and watched the omega dutifully care for the little reptile.

“It’s impossible to tell the sex until they grow up. I guess you could call it whatever you want for now.”

As soon as he had placed the dragon in the bathtub, the dragon flapped its little wings like a bird in a fountain. It still had yet to open its eyes, but Yuuri still thought it was awfully cute. It was squeaking at Yuuri, struggling on the slippery wet porcelain tub to try and crawl back to Yuuri, thinking that the omega was its mother. Heart clenching, Yuuri cupped his hands underneath it so he was holding it once more.

“Viktor… it thinks I’m its mother. I have to keep it now. I’ll figure out how I’ll feed it. If you provide me the meat and a bowl, then I will mash the meat up with water, so it has a chunky soup consistency, and then it will be easy for her to eat.” Yuuri was gently washing her scales with his washrag from earlier, but was careful to not use any soap, as he was nervous that any soap would be too harsh for the newborn dragon.

“Such a cute little things.” He cooed softly.

“I think I’m going to name her Mina. She’ll protect me from any mean alphas. When i return to Enkyo, I’ll return with my own dragon, and never again will anyone attempt at kidnapping me if I have a dragon protecting me.”

“I… okay, it’s actually pretty cute.” Viktor knelt down beside the tub with Yuuri and watched the little reptile squirm around and struggle to get out and back into Yuuri’s arms. because Yuuri had been the first one to touch it, the dragon had bonded to the omega immediately. Never did the alpha ever think for once in his life that he’d find a dragon to be cute. Especially after all of the damage that these dreadful creatures would tend to put people through, it was shocking to him that he felt compassion for one of their kind, but this little baby dragon was different. It was innocent, dependent, small.

Though what would happen when it grew up? Would it become one like its relatives? Where would it stay? The castle, as large as it was, had no room for a creature that gigantic. With a forlorn sigh, Viktor kept his eyes on the little creature struggling around in the water. Its opalescent scales glimmered in the water.

“Mina… that’s a good name for her.”

Yuuri’s dreams might be far fetched, but they weren’t impossible.

Viktor reached his hand in to pet the creature curiously, but the reptile opened its mouth and latched onto his finger with its toothless gums. She would grow teeth sooner or later, but for now it was adorable. It was heart clenching with Mina opened her mouth to suck on Viktor’s finger. Cooing softly, he gently nudged the dragon’s head away from the finger she was gnawing on.

“Mina, you can’t chew on Viktor’s fingers. That’s not very nice of you. He’s the one who is going to bring you food, so you best be nice to him if you’d like to eat.” He pulled the baby dragon out of the water momentarily and hugged her close to his chest, not really caring that he was getting the top of his dress wet.

“I’ll teach her to be good… I’m not going to let her hurt anyone, and I won’t let anyone hurt her… I just suppose that when I return home, I sincerely hope Leyasu allows me to keep Mina when he moves me to his country.” It hadn’t taken long for Yuuri to be attached to the baby dragon. He couldn’t help but want to protect the innocent little thing. Perhaps it was his omega instincts or just seeing something helpless and in danger reminded him of himself, but he badly want to protect Mina no matter what it cost him.

“I think it’s quite adorably that Mina thinks I’m her mother. Sadly for her I’ve never been pregnant so I am unable to feed her any milk. She’ll have to do with the food you bring me for her.”

Viktor nodded, watching as Yuuri dutifully pulled the little dragon out of the water and up against his chest like a human baby. it was clear that Yuuri’s omegan instincts were kicking in and urged him to care for the little creature that had little to no chance of finding her own mother.

“I’m not sure that any kingdom would appreciate one of humanity’s biggest threats being kept in its grounds. We’ll have to be very careful, but I promise you, if you’re not able to return back home with her, then I will keep her safe here. I know she’s special. I've never met a dragon whom I’ve wanted to protect before.” The alpha’s instincts might’ve been kicking up a little as well. He could see why Yuuri liked the little reptile so much. She was helpless and reliant, tiny and cute, and she liked both Viktor and Yuuri already.

“It’s getting late, but I’m sure I could go hunt down some meat for her. Do you think she’s hungry?” Viktor gave the dragon that was wrapped up in Yuuri’s arms a little pat on her head where her horns would eventually grow in. Her mouth opened in a big yawn and she began suckling on Yuuri’s finger this time instead of Viktor’s. Yuuri found comfort that Mina would be safe even if it meant that the omega couldn’t care for the young dragon.

“This is the first time I have actually seen a dragon in person. I never expected infant dragons would be so tiny.” Then Mina was gently suckling on his finger, and he held her closer, allowing her to do as she pleased. Whilst he knew it would be a bad habit for the dragon to find comfort in chewing on his finger, he would wait to teach her later about being nice.

“I think she might be a bit hungry. I don’t know what baby dragons eat, but maybe could you get me some uncooked mashed meat in a bowl? I’ll mix it with some water so it’s easier for her to eat.” He stood from where he was kneeling, and walked back out into the main room, then sat himself on the bed. Yuuri set Mina down on the bed next to him so she could walk around.

“If you wouldn’t mind, could you perhaps bring me some fruit to snack on also? The spicy egg earlier we ate I believe will complement wonderfully with some sweet fruit.”

“Hmm… I think raw meat would be fine. You’ll definitely have to mash it up into some sort of paste with water, yes. Mother dragons normally regurgitate food for the baby dragons.” Viktor laughed.

“I’m sure you’re not going to be doing that.” The alpha shrugged at Yuuri’s next request. “It’s rather late, I’m not sure any fruit merchants will be out… not to mention that berries are pretty scarce this time of year, but I promise I’ll try my best.” Viktor bid Yuuri and Mina farewell for the time being. Once again, he was down into the stables and saddled up onto his horse. A few sharp smacks to the flank, and he was off riding into the distance.

Although he made part of a living off of slaying dragons, he didn’t know much about them besides the basics. How much did they eat? How much did baby dragons eat? would meat be enough nutrition?

Why was he so worried over a dragon in the first place?

Oh well.

A while later, Viktor came back into Yuuri’s room with snow on his eyelashes and shoulders once again. There was blood on his armor and clothing and he dropped two dead rabbits and a chicken at Yuuri’s feet like a cat proudly presenting its owner with a dead mouse.

“Do you think this will be enough? I would’ve gotten an elk, but I thought that might be too much…”

While Yuuri had let Mina roam the bed, he had taken that time to arrange himself a small nest on the bed. It wasn’t really so much for the omega as much as he was creating it for the baby dragon. He knew nothing about dragons, but one thing he did know was that every baby, no matter an animal or a human child, needed a place of comfort, a nest where they could sleep in safety.

Thirty minutes later, Yuuri had created a nest he was content with. He had begun with two of the fluffiest blankets Viktor had given him to form a base. Then he had taken the other soft blankets and formed a ring around the fluffy blankets, using the pillows along the inside to form a barrier to lay against. By the time Viktor had come back, Yuuri was sitting in the chair by the fire, watching Mina sleep curled up in the nest he had made. It was a very proud feeling to have made a baby, even if it was just a baby dragon, feel safe enough to sleep in his nest.

With a gasp, Yuuri’s eyes widened at three dead animals before his gaze turned up to Viktor. He thought he would have received already chopped meat in a bowl not whole animal carcasses.

“I-Wha-What am I supposed to do with those? A-And you’ve got blood on the floor. How can I clean that up? And be a bit quiet, Mina is sleeping.” Yuuri pouted as he hurried into the washroom to grab one of the towels.

“Put them on this and I’ll figure out something about cleaning the wood…”

“You’re supposed to make them into food for Mina. You know, that’s what you asked me to get meat for.” Viktor said, tilting his head curiously while the idea that maybe this wasn’t the most cleanly thing flew right over his head. Really, he was just a barbaric alpha. He knew how to fight and kill, but prepare food? No. He knew how to heat things up until they were cooked enough to where he couldn’t get sick from eating them, but more than that, he was pretty clueless.

Kind of like a wild wolf.

“Ah, she’s sleeping?” Viktor asked, gently shaking the snow off of his hair once again like a dog shaking its coat free of moisture. When he saw the little dragon curled up in a nest that Yuuri had made, his heart felt like it would burst. He was happy for the dragon, He was also happy for Yuuri to have found something worth living for while he had his stay in Kolechia.

“Wow. no wonder why your fiancé wants to have kids with you. You’d make a great mother.” Viktor moved to sit in the chair near the fireplace, the scent of blood still lingering on his clothes.

“Do you know how to skin meat free of fur or feathers?”

“Yes she’s sleeping, and please do not wake her. She just hatched from her egg, the poor thing must be exhausted from exerting all that energy.” Yuuri spoke quietly as he grabbed the wet washcloth he had cleaned Mina with earlier, and brought it out to the bedchambers once more, kneeling down by the bloody floor to wipe up the mess. Blushing at the comment of being a good mother, Yuuri turned his gaze up to look at Viktor.

“Thank you for thinking so. I’ve never raised anything before, so hopefully this will be a good experience for when Leyasu decides he would like children, which I’m assuming will be the night of our wedding.” After the floor was cleaned, Yuuri stood back up, and tossed the rag across the room, and through the doorway into the washroom.

“What?!” Okay, Yuuri had no idea how to even cook, let alone skin an animal. And the rabbits were so adorable, how was he supposed to do such a thing!

“I have never done anything like that in my life, if you could please do the task for me, preferably in the washroom please. And while you are in there, please clean the blood off your clothes.”

Viktor rolled his eyes when Yuuri demanded that he go skin the animals and clean his clothes off as well. Living in such a domestic household seemed very tedious and not something that Viktor would want to do in the future.

“Does the scent of blood bother you? It’s only natural. You have it, I have it, every living creature has it. Everyone’s blood will surely spill at least one day.” The alpha took the dead animals into the washroom and unsheathed his pocket knife before carefully slicing into the flesh and peeling off the things that wouldn’t be fit for eating like fur and feathers and bones. It only added more blood to his clothing.

Soon, he placed the meat into a large bowl like Yuuri had asked and presented it to him. Viktor didn’t know how to make dragon food, so that task was up to Yuuri.

“Here. Skinned and boned, better?”

Viktor’s scent was completely covered by the stench of blood, and Yuuri absolutely hated it. Reaching forward to grab ahold of the bowl, Yuuri’s face scrunched up as he stared at it, not really how to deal with it. His image of raw meat had been something freshly sliced, and not an actual carcass.

“Yes, better… you know, if you’re not going to bother with cleaning the blood out of your shirt, I’d much rather you take it off and burn it. I really do not like the smell… I do not care if it is something natural, I hate it, and would prefer if the smell was removed from you.” He also didn’t like that it covered Viktor’s scent, but he definitely was not going to admit that to the alpha, in fear of being teased about it.

Then, Yuuri did something he never thought he would do, and sat down, before reaching with both hands into the bowl and mushing the meat up with his bare hands. The texture was disgusting and made him very nauseous, though he kept telling himself it was for Mina, and to push through it.

“I think this is good enough, I need to wash my hands though before my stomach expels what I had eaten for dinner.”

“Alright, alright… I’ll go wash. I suppose I’m just used to the smell of blood so much that it doesn’t bother me anymore.” Viktor watched as Yuuri mushed up the meat in the bowl with his bare hands. the omega looked incredibly uncomfortable doing it, but Viktor was happy that Yuuri was getting out of his comfort zone which consisted of cleanliness and proper manners.

“I think you might need a good wash too after having touched that.” Viktor laughed, he made his way to his own room and prepared himself a hot bath to soak in and remove all of the grime from his body. The alpha got dried off after his bath and put on some fresh clothes. Yuuri was right — maybe his other outfit should just be tossed. It didn’t look like the stains would be coming out anytime soon.

Viktor returned back to Yuuri’s room with his towel around his neck to catch the excess droplets of water falling from his damp hair.

“Do you think she’s ready to eat?” He asked, pointing to the little baby dragon. As if on queue, the tiny reptile shifted in her nest and rolled over onto her back, exposing her scaly belly.

Just as Yuuri finally relaxed in his nest with Mina, Viktor had entered the room, the alpha’s scent clouding around him, naturally bringing Yuuri to feel even more relaxed.

“Give the poor baby a little time to wake up.” Yuuri reached over to gently rub at the baby dragon’s belly, smiling soft at how she was curling and uncurling her little claws.

“Whenever she’s ready, her food will be waiting for her. also, thank you for bathing yourself. I much more prefer your scent over the stench of blood, and plus I also wish for Mina to get used to both of our scents so she knows we will not harm her as she grown older. I suppose you could be her father if you so wish, if not then I will assume both roles as mother and father.” As Yuuri spoke, Mina curled her little claws which still needed more time to grow in until they would be fully functional. Her snout scrunched up and she let out a squeaky sneeze which expelled a tiny orange spark from her mouth. The sudden jerk of her body seemed to wake herself up.

Viktor gave Yuuri a shocked glance at the casual offer.

He wanted him to be the father? To a dragon?


	11. Mother of Dragons or Subservient Mate?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love reading the comments, please let me know if there's something you'd like to see, or just to let me know if you enjoyed something!

Of course Viktor wanted to, but the insinuation of Yuuri being the mother seemed to almost knock him off of his feet, and it wasn’t like he was too educated in the parental department, either.

“I… you’re asking if we’re going to be Mina’s parents? Together?” Viktor looked back over at the tiny dragon that stretched her limbs out and uncurled her tail and wings. The reptile’s eyes twitched and when she opened her eyes, they revealed a bright yellowish gold color surrounded by a sharp pupil.

“I’m not sure I know how to… be a father. I was never taught how. I’ve been taught only how to fight and hunt and defend my kingdom from danger. Domesticity is unfamiliar to me.”

Yuuri shifted so he was sitting up in the bed and pulled Mina into his lap, pulling the skirt of his dress up slightly so he could swaddle her in the fabric.

“To understand my choice, it is important you understand my motivation…” Turning his gaze up to Viktor, Yuuri let out a sigh, completely exhausted both mentally and physically.

“I had two choices on who would be the one to train Mina if I am unable to do so, you and Leyasu… I have been here many weeks, and you have yet to lay a hand on me, even to assist me in menial tasks. Though minutes after I met my fiance, when we were conversing in the library, he was putting his hands on my corset and up my skirt. I had the choice of you or Leyasu to train her, and I fear he will use her to slaughter you and your people, but I don’t think you will do the same to Enkyo if you train her. In my time being here, other than that once occurrence several weeks ago, I have heard no word on any sort of rescuing of me to bring me home to Enkyo, and I am beginning to think my salvation will never come. It is my goal to convince you to form a connection to Mina, so when the king eventually realizes my country will no longer give up their land for my safety, that this baby dragon’s life be spared, and serve as a constant reminder of me, even after I am sold off to a nobleman. Isn’t that what they’ll do to me if the emperor, my father doesn’t pay the demands your king has made? If not, then what is to happen to me?”

Viktor sat beside Yuuri while the omega spoke of his kingdom, his fiancé, and his future. He was shocked to hear that Yuuri may think more of him than his own fiancé.

“Leyasu… you haven’t told me before, but I feel that you may be more inclined to answer now. Do you love him? Does he love you?” The alpha was beginning to think that Yuuri didn’t want to marry the man he was forced into marrying; and because he’d been spending so much time with Yuuri, even if just barely, he felt like he wanted to protect him as an alpha. That was his duty, right? Whether enemy or friend, he was due to protect omegas, but this feeling hadn’t shown itself before until now when Yuuri spoke of Leyasu being too handsy.

“So, his touch was unwelcome, yes?” Viktor sighed, looking off to the side. even if Yuuri were supposed to be his enemy, he still felt a bout of anger at the alpha who had tried to advance on Yuuri without permission.

“I don’t know what will happen of you, but I do know that I will protect you from Leyasu. He isn’t worthy enough for you. If you doubt his actions, he isn’t right.” Yuuri turned his gaze downward, feeling quite uncomfortable by the bold statements Viktor was making. in the time since Viktor had last inquired about Yuuri’s feelings towards Leyasu, he had grown quite fond of the alpha, making feeling a little more willing to admit to Viktor his feelings on the matter.

“I admit that I do not love him, and I do not think he loves me either. Sure he is well attracted to my body, but in an arranged diplomatic marriage such as this, love is the least thing to be expected as an outcome.” Yuuri stroked Mina’s back gently, watching as she turned her tiny dragon face into the dress of his skirt, chewing on the fabric. His movements stopped when Viktor asked if Leyasu’s touches were unwanted. To Yuuri, every touch from him was unwanted. He was an immoral, handsy alpha who always took anything he wanted no matter what anyone else thought.

“I suppose it was unwanted… it is sweet of you to offer protection from him, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline your offer. My marriage to him is one that my father has carefully crafted with his father, and in turn they will provide Enkyo with military support. If I ruin this engagement, I am sending my country to the grave. So if saving my country means I have to endure unwanted touching, then I keep my mouth shut and smile as he does as he pleases.”

“What? You’re willing to just — allow him to do whatever he pleases? I know it’s for the sake of your country, but there has to be another option, right? I don’t know what they teach alphas from wherever Leyasu is from, but Kolechia has very strict rules and regulations on that. No alpha is to ever lay a finger in a sexual manner on an omega without explicit permission. It’s punishable by hanging.”

Perhaps that’s why Viktor reacted so shocked to the situation that Yuuri was describing — he was raised in a society where respect was the highest law of all. His frazzled and upset alpha scent began becoming more prominent in the room as his suppressed anger rose up in his chest.

“I don’t understand why they treat you so poorly there. You’re an omega — royalty, no less — your comfort should be their top priority.” Viktor huffed and sat down beside Yuuri, crossing his arms in front of his chest. the sight of the cute little dragon curling up and playing with the omega’s clothing brought an amused smile to his face.

“If I could make you a member of society here in Kolechia, then I would. You’d have a lot more freedom than you’d know what to do with.”

“Of course I have to be willing to let him do as he pleases!” Yuuri exclaimed, causing Mina to flinch in his lap. He did feel bad that Mina had been startled, but he wasn’t given much time to process it, before Viktor’s angry scent filled the room, something which made Yuuri feel incredibly anxious and fill with fear.

He hadn’t been around many angry alphas in his life, but Yuuri knew that he was rather weak, and that if an angry alpha were to do something to him, he would not be able to stop him.

“V-Viktor, please, just-“ Yuuri wanted to tell him to pull his scent back in, but he couldn’t get the words out, his uneasiness continuously rising the longer the angry scent filled the room.

“I-I don’t want to be to-to-to be a-a citizen here. I wish to go… to go home, and-and I want to marry Leyasu t-to save my home… when Kolechia and-and Enkyo go to war, my people will be-will-will-will be s-s-s-slaughtered, and so will my… my… fath-“ Yuuri was cut off as an intense sob came out, and without realizing what he was doing, and moved Mina onto the bed next to him before throwing himself into Viktor’s arms, face buried in the alpha’s shirt as he cried.

Viktor’s eyes were wide when Yuuri let out the scent of a sad, scared omega. It immediately made his angry scent falter with shame. He shouldn’t have gotten angry so suddenly. He knew how negatively it affected omegas to smell a discontent alpha.

“Yuuri, I wasn’t — I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at your less than worthy fiancé and the state of your kingdom… I promise I’m not mad — woah!”

Viktor stumbled back a little in surprise when Yuuri’s body came hurling into his own. The hug wasn’t unwelcome, but it was very unexpected. It took the alpha a moment to realize what had just happened before he slowly reached his arms up to wrap Yuuri in his embrace.

Yuuri probably wanted the scent of a calm alpha right now — something to ground him.

Viktor focused to make that happen.

“Yuuri… I’m sorry. there’s not much I can do about that…” Really, there wasn’t anything he could do. He was powerless in war, although he was their strongest pawn. He could only follow orders.

“Um… I… what would make you feel better right now, Yuuri?”

When Viktor had eventually wrapped his arms around Yuuri, the omega had found himself slowly relaxing. He didn’t say anything for a little while, his arms still tight around the other while he used his scent to calm himself.

Whilst Yuuri knew it was a very bad idea for him to search for comfort in Viktor, considering he had been realizing he was quite fond of Viktor, he was too upset at the thought of his parents dying to move away from the alpha’s arms, so he just continued to lean against him.

“If… If the time comes that you are tasked with the assassination of my parents, please do it very quickly so they don’t feel any pain. My parents are getting very old, and feel pain quite easily, so please make it so that they do not suffer…”

Viktor felt his heart drop. Yuuri really did think of him as some violent murderer, huh? After all, he was a knight. He was expected to kill those who try to wrong him. He was expected to do as told, like an empty soldier who does not falter in the darkness.

“I… I wouldn’t be the one to kill them, Yuuri.” Viktor said softly, giving the omega’s back a little comforting rub. He couldn’t deny that they could be assassinated. They most definitely could, and certainly Kolechia was their greatest enemy at the moment, but Viktor killed only if needed. He killed those who came wrongly into the kingdom and performed aggressive actions. He killed animals for food and their pelts, dragons for their aggressive nature if they so much as tried to hear the kingdom and bring it down in any way.

He might be a murderer, but he wasn’t an assassin.

“I don’t think I’d be able to kill your parents either. I don’t think I’d be able to bring myself to do it.”

“If anyone were to kill them, I think I would like it to be you who delivers the blow that kills them. Everyone else I believe would make them suffer for the sole reason that they are enemies of Kolechia, and you are the one I trust would make them feel no pain…” Yuuri closed his eyes, finding the hand rubbing his back quite relaxing. This really was the first personal contact he had had since being in Enkyo, and the omega had been dying for some sort of touch, so now that he had it, he never wanted it to stop.

“What is going to happen to me if Enkyo and Kolechia went to war?” He asked after a moment.

“What do you think your king will do with me? Surely there would be no need to keep me captive if my country is defeated, so what would be my fate?”

Viktor took a deep breath while thinking of an answer, but none came to mind. The questions that Yuuri asked weren’t something he knew the proper response to, nor did he think he’d ever know the answer unless that situation that the omega had proposed were to actually happen.

“I’m not sure. I don’t think you will be killed if we go to war and Enkyo is defeated, though. You’ll probably be kept here to live as one of us… because there wouldn’t be a kingdom for you to return back to.”

The alpha didn’t want to think of Enkyo being destroyed. A while back, he might’ve even dreamt about such an outcome, but now that he knew Yuuri’s home and family was tied there, the idea sounded much more cruel. He wasn’t supposed to bond with enemies. He wasn’t supposed to pity them, but Viktor couldn’t help it. Yuuri didn’t deserve this at all. Viktor wished he could only change it.

Yuuri went quiet again, letting the silence that fell between them comfort him while he used the alpha’s scent to relax him. When he eventually realized that allowing himself to quite literally keep himself in the alpha’s lap, not only was it quite inappropriate, but he also had a fiance, and should not allow himself to act on whims. So he pulled himself away, and put a bit of space between them while he turned his gaze to Mina, pretending that he couldn’t feel Viktor staring at him.

“I apologize, I deeply appreciate the comfort you provided, but I really should not be throwing myself into an alpha who is not Leyasu. Even though he’s not the choice of who I would like to marry, he is who was chosen for me, and I must respect that decision. I would appreciate if next time if you could push me away so this never happens again. I need to keep more space between you and myself. It is bad enough that I use the pillows and blankets you scented to make my nest, I shouldn’t be putting my face in your chest.

Viktor only shrugged in response to Yuuri declaring it was inappropriate for him to be seeking comfort in the alpha.

“Well, I didn’t think it was all that bad. It’s natural for you, an omega, to seek comfort in an alpha’s scent and touch, right? Your body is stressed, your mind is stressed, so you’re looking for any source of comfort to ease your system if only for a moment. I don’t mind you being close to me. It’s not a burden on my part.” The alpha felt his gaze trail to Mina as well. The little dragon was happily dreaming and she kicked her little feet in her sleep.

“It’s not such a big deal for you to be comforted by someone who isn’t your fiancé. He’s not around right now, so it’s only natural that your body would try to find comfort in someone who can satisfy you.” Viktor reached a finger out and gently trailed it up along Mina’s little snout.

“So, if you don’t mind, then I don’t, either.”

“Well even so…though I do find it quite relaxing to be searching for comfort in you, it also makes me feel odd and guilty at the thought that Leyasu would not be happy to see me in the arms of another alpha.” Yuuri mirrored Viktor’s actions, and he pet Mina’s scales half-mindlessly.

“I have also never allowed myself to have such a limited space between us before, so I suppose I am still comprehending that the omega in my has deemed you a safe alpha, something which I had never expected to happen. Surely you understand my inner turmoil with the situation.” Yuuri sighed, and pushed his hair behind his ear before holding his hands in his lap.

“I know when I previously asked, you’ve said no, but is there any way I could perhaps step outside? It has been several weeks since my capture and I have not left this room, nor have I made any attempts at escaping. I just wish to feel the ground beneath my feet and the sun shining on my back. Though it be the beginning of winter and there is still snow on the ground, I still think it would be a nice experience.”

“I understand how that could be a difficult concept for your instincts to comprehend. Your mind has a lot of different signals telling it different things right now.” Viktor smiled softly. “I think it’s okay for you to seek comfort in me. It’s natural — and you don’t have a bond mark yet. I would be concerned if you had one yet chose to find comfort in someone else who hadn’t given you that bond.”

Viktor sat in silence for a moment. He watched Mina move her little claws around to stretch them out in her sleep.

“Outside?”

The alpha knew that the right and expected answer would be no, Yuuri could try to escape at any moment and Yakov had not ordered him to do so, he could get in a heap of trouble if caught… But on the other hand, he wanted Yuuri to experience freedom. He hadn’t seen a lot of that in his sheltered life and he wanted the omega to see what living actually was. He knew it would be good on Yuuri’s mental health.

“If we were to do that, it would have to be at night. Can’t risk anyone seeing you.” Viktor said. “I’m not sure. It’s a hard thing to request.”

“The thing I am worried about though, is if the omega half of me grows too comfortable with you, that it would physically reject the bond mark Leyasu will eventually give me. And that would be so completely embarrassing if he were to have me in his bed, and my body rejecting any marks he gives me.” Chewing at his lip nervously, Yuuri thought about the danger of sneaking outside with Viktor.

If he were to be caught out of his cell, Yuuri was scared that they would physically punish him as a repercussion for an attempted escape.

“I am putting quite a bit of trust in you for guiding me out of my cell and to the ground below. I do not mind going out at night, though I think if we do, I would like Makkachin to join us, and perhaps we could even go on a small walk near the stables. Back in Enkyo when I had my dog, I used to take him on walks through the castle gardens, but since it won’t be safe for me to see the gardens here, I figured the stables would be far enough from any watchful guards.”

It was already late at night currently. The moon was out and it was pitch black outside. For them to sneak out, they’d have to create the plan earlier. Viktor knew all about the art of being unseen.

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow night, after you’ve settled into your new room, we’ll go out. Perhaps I’ll take you on my horse. You’ve met him before, although I doubt you took much notice of him.” Viktor laughed.

He remembered the night that he’d taken Yuuri from the castle and hauled him on horseback in the return back to Kolechia. It didn’t surprise him that Yuuri didn’t notice the horse. It was a scary moment and that was probably the last thing on his mind.

“I think I shall bid you goodnight. You’re going to need to be well rested for tomorrow. It will be a big day, yes?” Viktor gave Mina a fond pat on her head and Yuuri the same.

“Yes, tomorrow will be an exciting day.” Yuuri responded with a small laugh. While he was relieved that Viktor would be leaving considering that he would he able to move into his new room as well as taking a ride on Viktor’s horse, part of Yuuri had also wished that the alpha would just stay in his room with him.

“Goodnight Viktor, I’ll see you in the morning after I have been brought my food. I’ll be sure to have my blankets, pillows, and clothing ready for the move into the other room. Since I’m assuming we will be up late tomorrow, it is best we both get as much rest as we can so we are ready for whatever the day brings us.” Pulling Mina back into his arms, Yuuri smiled down as he watched the baby dragon blink her eyes open. “Perhaps in the future we could take her out into the open with us, though we would have to train her to not run too far away from us, I would be devastated if we ever lost her.”

After the words have been spoken, they had sat in silence until inevitably Viktor had to force himself from standing from the bed. After Viktor left to retire for the night, he’d fallen asleep rather easily. Although he hadn’t known why or had the energy to care, it was obvious that the faint scent of the omega still sticking to him had calmed him faster than his average time to fall asleep.


	12. What Will Soon Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is very long and I'm sorry haha

The next day, Viktor was ordered to survey the kingdom for any potential threats before returning back to Yuuri’s room. So that’s as he did — he hopped up on his horse and pulled on the reigns, rushing through the cold snow that kicked up behind the hooves.

He figured it was a good opportunity to take a little more information in. He mentally took note of all the guard locations and their timestamps. Viktor paid very close attention to the way the kingdom moved, even if he’d seen it a million times before. It would be different at night, he knew, but he could only hope it wouldn’t be too different. Several workers at the castle were in the process of helping Yuuri relocate to his new room. The omega was good at hiding Mina and transferring her there without much trouble. Just as the workers were about to leave, a loud rumble overhead froze them in their tracks. They all looked up and out of the windows.

A plume of fire blew across the sky. A large, scaled tail about the same color as Mina’s swung against the tower.

“A dragon?” One of the workers asked. “How did it get so close? Where’s Nikiforov?”

“Right here,” Viktor peeked his head around the corner with a smug grin. “Sorry, I was out patrolling. Please excuse me, I have to go take care of that.” The alpha said, turning to rush up the large staircase at the end of the hall that led to the top of the castle’s tower. “You can stay here or leave the castle… either one will be fine. Just a moment and it’ll be gone.”

The workers heard Viktor’s suggestion and they all stood in shock. All at once, they scrambled the opposite way to evacuate the castle, leaving Yuuri behind in the room with the door they’d forgotten to lock behind them.

Moving into the new room had brought both relief and stress.

There were so many people moving the things Yuuri had slowly collected from Viktor into his new room, he hadn’t gathered much, just the abalone shell, the dresses from the wardrobe, and his bunches of pillows and blankets that made up the nest atop the horrid bed he had been sleeping on.

The blankets.

_Oh the blankets…_

The servants had moved his nest, not only disrupting the already limited safety he felt, but also stirring Viktor’s scent from within the blankets and replacing it with theirs. So as they were busy with moving his things, Yuuri had stashed a sleeping Mina, focusing on now rearranging his nest. While making himself comfortable, it was as if the air itself started to shake, and just like before, Viktor had to be the strong heroic alpha, and rushed off to slaughter what ever had happened to fly over the castle, a dragon Yuuri assumed.

When he had searched for somewhere to hide, one of the servants had accidentally forgotten to lock his door, and before he realized what he was doing, he was slipping out.

Using Viktor’s scent as a guide, Yuuri made his way down the passageways, carefully hurrying down the steps until he was finally out in the open. Out if the corner of his eye he saw Viktor rushing towards the forested area just beyond the stables, and couldn’t help but follow him. It was definitely a terrible idea, and Yuuri wasn’t even sure why he was following the alpha.

Viktor had managed to lead the dragon away from the main part of town and into the large forest. It would’ve been bad if he were to fight the huge creature in the middle of civilization where buildings could crumble and people would be stuck in disaster. His job was to protect the people, after all. He’d basically become a one-man army. Everyone knew not to interfere with his work.

Viktor was trusted. He knew what he was doing and he knew all of the ins-and-outs.

It was hard to see the dragon flying overhead through the canopy of pine tree branches covering the forest. Viktor weaved in and out of the trunks on the back of his horse. Turning back, he saw giant wings flying above, and a spray of fire grazed the tips of the trees. With his bow in hand, he reeled back, pulling the string taut, and he aimed right for one of the dragon’s wings. The arrow shot through the air and punctured the creature’s left wing. It had no choice but to come crashing down to finish the fight.

Viktor hopped off of his horse and made way for the dragon’s landing. He braced himself behind his shield when an angry flame was breathed his way. Over the smell of burning wood, he caught a familiar scent.

_Yuuri._

He didn’t have time to worry about it. The dragon got up on all fours and angrily tried to sweep at Viktor, who rolled away and shot another arrow.

Dodging the alpha as much as possible, Yuuri darted between trees, staying hidden from sight the further they went into the forest. When he saw Viktor approach a small clearing that was barely the size of the royal garden courtyard, Yuuri crouched to hide behind a clumped group of blueberry bushes.

Yuuri had been doing quite an amazing job at holding in his scent until the moment he saw the dragon breathe the fire directly at Viktor, and only then did his panicked scent dart out and fill the area around him.

He noticed a knowing flinch in Viktor’s posture, and knew immediately that the other had realized he was following him. Not knowing his way back to the castle, and suddenly filled with fear, Yuuri quite literally moved to lay on the dirt, uncaring of how filthy his dress was getting, and cowered in fear.

That apparently was not the correct thing to do, because when the dragon had breathed out fire as it swept its head around in a half circle, the area immediately around him caught fire, as well as the bush he had been using for protection.

Scampering away from the burning bush, Yuuri was left out in the open, body shaking intensely as he stared at the dragon with wide, fear-filled eyes, body frozen to the spot he was standing.

It seemed that Viktor hadn’t been the only one to notice Yuuri’s scent. The dragon’s skilled snout caught notice of another human other than Viktor and turned to face Yuuri at the same time that Viktor did.

“Yuuri!” Viktor shouted, his eyes landing on the omega who was standing carelessly out in the open.

Out in the open.

_How did he get here?!_

Viktor didn’t have time to question. He needed to protect Yuuri, to get him somewhere safe for now —

While he was standing there, staring in complete shock at Yuuri, the dragon’s tail whipped around and smacked Viktor over, sending him flying a few feet away. The dragon, now more interested in the intruder who interrupted their fight, approached the tiny human.

“Duck!” Viktor shouted, watching as the dragon sprayed out another spew of flames from its mouth, just barely missing the omega. While Yuuri was crouched down, Viktor swooped by and grabbed the omega by the collar of his dress, his strong arm taking the burn of the fire before it could reach Yuuri’s skin.

“Why are you here?!” Viktor asked, carrying Yuuri over to the edge of the clearing and behind a large boulder. “Never mind, just stay here. Don’t move unless I tell you.”

Upon hearing his name shouted, Yuuri was snapped out of his trance, head snapping to look at Viktor.

Seeing the alpha being flung across the clearing was a terrifying sight, but not as much as the dragon breathing it’s hellish fire directly at the omega. Moments later he was grabbed by his dress and dragged behind a boulder, staring with wide eyes at Viktor’s face, till his gaze traveled to his arm where the smell of burnt flesh was emanating.

“Viktor!” He gasped, grip tightening on the other’s shirt.

“Please be safe, I don’t know what I’ll do if you die. I need you to come back with me. Please.” With a fear filled eyes, Yuuri pulled him down and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Viktor was left speechless when a kiss was pressed to his forehead. All of the fear left his body and was replaced by confusion and… a strangely warm feeling. He wasn’t sure what it was, or why Yuuri had kissed him, but it seemed to give him all of the strength he needed.

“I will,” he promised, taking Yuuri’s hand and giving it a promising squeeze. “I’ll always come back to you.” The alpha quickly turned around when he heard a loud stomp from behind him. He gave one last glance at Yuuri, then readied his bow to snap an arrow right at the dragon’s throat.

Blood spewed from the several places where Viktor had struck his arrows. It painted the white snow red where it hadn’t melted away from the creature’s scalding flames. While the dragon was distracted and trying to rub its neck free of the arrow against the ground, Viktor ran and climbed up one of the nearby trees which was flaming with heat. When he had enough leverage, he aimed, leaping off of the trunk and falling right onto the tall dragon. The alpha stood on its back, drew his sword, and finished the creature off with one sharp blow to slice its neck.

Its body went limp. Its head rolled lifelessly onto the snow.

Viktor was left panting, hands still on the sword’s bloody handle.

Part of Yuuri had wanted to watch the alpha fight the dragon, but he was much too terrified to look around the trees, so he crouched on the dirt, leaning against the trunk of one of the larger trees.

While he couldn’t see what was happening, he could hear the dragon’s angry roaring, and feel the way the ground shook each time the creature took a step.

Then with one particularly intense roar followed by a piercing slam into the ground, Yuuri was suddenly enveloped by a wave of silence, the only sound being the rustling of the trees in the small breeze.

After a few seconds, Yuuri hesitantly stood from the dirt, and glanced around the tree he was hiding behind, only to reveal a near decapitated dragon, and Viktor with his bloody arm.

When he realized it was safe enough to move, he quickly rushed into the clearing towards the alpha, fearful that he was seriously injured, but not feeling it quite yet because of the excitement of the fight.

“Viktor!”

Silence.

The only sound he could hear was his own ragged breathing. Viktor closed his eyes and kept still atop the lifeless dragon’s body to catch his breath.

The cold weather helped keep him a little numb. The pain hadn’t yet settled in, although his arm had an uncomfortable stinging urging at him.

His attention was snapped back to reality when he heard Yuuri’s voice calling out his name. Viktor looked down at the omega from the high place where he sat on the dead creature.

The scent of worried, stressed omega filled his senses. Viktor’s first reaction as an alpha was to ease those worries. His eyes locked on Yuuri’s for a few seconds.

“I’m fine,” he said, although his body betrayed him when he moved to hop down onto the snow. Viktor’s face screwed up in a cringe when his feet hit the bloody ground.

“How are you? Are you hurt at all?” Viktor asked, approaching the omega. “You didn’t get burned, did you?”

Viktor could feel the burn on his own arm stinging his flesh. He really just wanted to roll it in the cold snow beneath his feet. He’d take care of it later.

“I am unhurt, quite shaken up and considerably worried for your current health, but I am not injured.”

As Viktor finally stood still in front of him, the scent of burned clothes and flesh was filling his nose, only making him more anxious.

Of course Yuuri had always heard stories of the damage and destruction that dragons could unfold upon an unsuspecting village, but he had never first hand seen the outcome of it’s fire on a body. It was even more scary that it had happened to someone the omega cared quite deeply about.

“You used your body to shield me from the fire…” The words came out soft as Yuuri carefully stepped around Viktor to examine his arm.

“We need to get you back to my nest. You will be safe there, and then I will clean the burned flesh off your arm…” Yuuri then paused for a moment, his hands holding onto Viktor’s torn shirt, and pulled him in for a light hug, not wanting to cause him any pain. “The smell and sight of blood may be quite disgusting and induce sickness in me, but you are injured because you protected me from danger, so it is only fair that I care for you.”

Viktor looked down at his arm and the raw flesh that stung quite terribly. The sleeve of his thick outerwear had been burned away, and his clothes would soon be tossed, left completely useless due to the burns in the fabric.

“Ah… I didn’t have time to wear the proper armor. It takes a while to get suited up, and since it was an emergency, I couldn’t waste any time…”

The alpha stiffened when Yuuri brought him into a sudden hug. Although it was welcome, he hadn’t expected the action of affection from the omega. He soon warmed into it and his tense muscles softened.

“Of course I protected you. It’s not something you need to repay me for… it’s my job to protect everyone here. It’s my job to make sure everyone is safe… even if it means risking my own safety.”

Viktor had to admit that it was quite painful the more he moved his arm, and having it taken care of did seem quite nice now.

“Let’s go back then, yes?” The alpha lead Yuuri over to his horse and helped the prince up, hopping on up after the omega. He grabbed hold of the reigns and gave them a sharp tug, steering the horse in the right way back to the castle.

Yuuri was sitting in front Viktor, which meant that he was embraced in the alpha’s arms. He still could smell the distinct scent of burning flesh, but his anxiety was eased with being so close to the other man.

He could tell that Viktor was doing his best to hold back the back as to get Yuuri back to the castle, and also to not alarm him by seeing him in distress. But Yuuri was no idiot, it was very obvious the pain the other must be in front having his arm and some of his back burned.

Upon reaching the castle stables, Yuuri climbed off the horse first, and stood obediently to the side while he waited for Viktor.

“I know you are in pain, but it would be greatly appreciated if you could hurry so I may bring you back to my nest where it is safe. I feel very uneasy with you being so out in the open in the incredibly injured state you are in. We need to care for your wounds as soon as possible.”

“I’m alright,” Viktor responded, hissing when his arm brushed up against the reign as he hopped off his horse and closed the stable door behind him. Clearly, he wasn’t very alright.

Normally he didn’t get hurt. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d gotten so badly burned. He didn’t think he’d ever been this injured before… but he’d hate to blame it on Yuuri.

He knew that if Yuuri hadn’t been there, then he would’ve been less distracted and he would’ve been more conscious of his actions, but it wasn’t Yuuri’s fault… the omega was scared and acted on his instincts. How could Viktor argue with that? The least he could do was allow Yuuri to fix him up.

When they managed to get back up to Yuuri’s new room without the omega being seen by other members of the castle, Viktor sat on the edge of his new bed beside Mina.

“Your room is nice,” he mused, holding his injured arm against his body. “Sorry I didn’t get to help you move. I would’ve if I hadn’t had to deal with the dragon.”

Yuuri had felt guilt coursing through his body with each step as they made their way into his new room.

Luckily enough for them, the castle had still been in a bit of chaos because of the dragon, so they had gone unsighted by the guards who had been rushing around the castle. Once in the confines of his room, Yuuri ushered Viktor towards the bed, and made him sit down, which made Mina quite happy since she had been sitting so close, and crawled towards Viktor.

“You do not need to apologize, if anything I should apologize for putting you in even more danger than you were already in, and causing you to get a rather gruesome burn on your arm. And my room is not quite finished yet, I still need to assemble my nest… Speaking of, would you mind moving to sit in the armchair next to the fireplace? I feel much too uneasy having my nest disassembled across the room, and would like to fix it before I tend to cleaning your arm.”

“Oh, sure. I don’t mind.” Viktor said, hauling the baby dragon up into his good arm when he moved aside to sit in the armchair nearby instead. He liked holding Mina. It felt much different than holding a dog, but in a good way. She felt cold against his skin and her scales felt smooth.

“You don’t have to clean it. I can always get one of the nurses to handle it…” Viktor commented, watching the omega move around the room. It was a little strange to have a prince taking care of him when it should be the other way around. Viktor felt as if he should reject Yuuri’s care, but the omega clearly felt awful about the whole situation and wanted to fix Viktor out of the kindness of his heart, and to maybe make up for what had happened.

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s my duty to protect the people.”

Viktor had to admit that he did like spending time with Yuuri when the prince wasn’t being stuck up and rude, though. He could get used to this. He held his injured arm out for Yuuri to examine.

It had taken a few quick minutes for Yuuri to arrange the pillows and blankets into a nest he deemed acceptable. It wasn’t the nicest he had ever made, but given the circumstances, it would have to do for now.

Crossing the room, Yuuri gently held on to Viktor’s good arm, and nudged him over to the bed.

“I would like you to sit down and relax, and I will go grab my bucket of water from the washroom, and a rag, and then I will do my best to clean the burst flesh away.” Yuuri placed a gentle hand on Viktor’s cheek, smiling weakly before walking off to grab what he needed.

“You have said many times that I owe you no apologies, but I believe that you and I both know that had it not been for me, you would not have been gravely injured. I feel terrible seeing what happened to your arm, and I feel even worse think about if it had been me who was burned…”

Chewing at his lip, Yuuri dipped the rag in the water then squeezed out the excess.

“I would like to apologize now before I begin to clean your wound, because I have a feeling it will hurt. And do not move because I will growl at you, and you will feel uncomfortable.”

Viktor stayed silent. He didn’t want to argue with Yuuri about apologies or acceptance. He wanted to focus on the task at hand rather than what had caused it in the first place. The alpha watched Yuuri clean the rag out. He set Mina aside for a moment so he could stand and pull his shirt off over his head. The burns on his forearm were the worst, but they extended up to his shoulder area. He wanted to make sure Yuuri was able to reach his skin there.

Modesty wasn’t something Viktor had ever been rather concerned with. Whatever got the job done got the job done.

Sitting back down, now shirtless, Viktor watched Yuuri prepare the rag.

“Ah, some water won’t hurt me. I’m not worried about it.”

Yuuri’s threat seemed rather silly. Viktor hadn’t ever heard an omega’s upset growl, but he doubted it could affect him much.

“Trust me, a growl isn’t enough to upset me. I appreciate you trying to get me to stay in line, though.” Viktor teased, looking at Yuuri with a playful glance.

Yuuri rolled his eyes a bit teasingly as he moved to sit closer to Viktor so that cleaning his wounds would be easier.

“Well you’ve never heard an omega, and from my experience when my mother used it on my father once he immediately stopped what he was doing and felt very ashamed.” As he spoke, he brought up one hand to place on Viktor’s chest to steady himself, while with his other hand he carefully started to wipe away at some of the dried blood.

“I am very, very hard to try and not hurt you, but I feel that will be inevitable once I begin to actually clean the wound itself. Just… Please do not move or get angry and growl at me, I already feel guilty enough, and that would just make me feel even worse.” Once the blood had been wiped away from his arm and shoulder, then it was finally time to actually clean the wound itself.

“Okay, so I’m about to start cleaning away the damaged skin, so again, I am really sorry.”

“Well, then I hope I’ll never see the day where I am to hear an omega growl.” Viktor replied, a soft laugh leaving his lips. He didn’t think that he’d react upon hearing such a thing directed at him, but history has proven otherwise on countless other alphas. It was natural and instinctual to feel a hot embarrassment wash over when an omega growl was directed at an alpha.

He allowed Yuuri to clean the dried blood away. It was still sore and stung a bit when anything touched his skin, but Viktor made no sign to show that it hurt him. He could tolerate this.

“It’s alright. I think I’ll be fine… I’ve had arrows shot at my back. I’ve had claws tear at my skin. A little cleaning will be nothing to me.” Viktor laid his arm out more so Yuuri could have full access to it. The alpha traced his fingers over a faded, pinkish scar across his chest in three lines.

“This one was from a dragon. It was when I was younger… I wasn’t paying attention and it scraped its claws across my chest. Had to get stitches.”

While his vision was rather poor, because he was sitting so close to Viktor, he was able to see more clearly the scars littered across his chest and back. As the alpha went into detail of how he had gotten each of the injuries, Yuuri couldn’t help but be surprised that Viktor had somehow survived through such violent injuries.

“It makes me quite nervous thinking of how you put yourself in the line of danger constantly in order to protect your country… I am just glad we nearly never have dragons in Enkyo, because I am not sure if there would be anyone willing to face a dragon alone.” Yuuri dipped the rag into the bucket of water to rinse out the blood, then then squeezed out the water.

He then reached over to run his fingers across the scars on the alpha’s chest.

“Be more careful, and then I promise to not leave the confines of this room. I feel terrible for being the cause of your injuries, and I wish for it to never happen again.”

“We live near a more dense forest with a lot of mountains and valleys around, so it’s a prime location for dragons to be living. Why someone decided to found a kingdom so nearby this dangerous location is beyond me.” Viktor laughed.

It kind of was a stupid idea to make a civilization so close in proximity to a place where dragons were regularly bred. Viktor watched Yuuri’s fingers as they traced some of the scarred-over flesh across his chest and shoulders.

“It’s okay. I probably would’ve gotten hurt had you been there or not.” Viktor reassured the omega. “I always become injured… I like to think it’s just part of my job and not because I’m sometimes clumsy.”

The alpha mindlessly set his hand over Yuuri’s.

“Besides, part of my job is protecting you, too.”

Yuuri had yet to move his hand both away from Viktor’s chest, and away from the alpha’s hand that was covering his own.

He knew very well that he was beginning to form feelings for the other man, no matter how hard he tried denying himself, and to see him nearly killed in front of him, and also to see the aftermath of his injuries, had been both startling and eye opening.

“With having you as my protector, I feel safe in knowing that no harm will ever come to me, but I have to ask that you will never allow yourself to be killed if it means my safety. Do you think you could allow me that promise?”

Moving his hand, instead of pulling away, Yuuri had turned it over so that he could grab ahold of the alpha’s hand, holding it tightly in his own.

“Though it be confusing and quite inappropriate considering you are my captor, I find that I would be deeply upset if your life passed, and I would prefer to have you in good health, and close proximity to me.”

Viktor’s eyes widened as Yuuri took his hand in his own and held it close. Weeks ago, he wouldn’t have even thought the omega capable of doing such a kind action to someone such as his captor.

And now, here he was, tending to his wounds and making him promise he won’t die for his sake.

“I… I don’t know if I can promise you that.”Viktor’s eyes looked downcast. His mood seemed to sour.

“I made a promise when I first became chosen to be a knight. I cannot allow any civilians die a death where I could have prevented it. I must put myself before them and keep my kingdom safe. And that includes you, too. If it were to ever happen, I would most definitely die for your sake.” He looked back up at Yuuri, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Besides, can you imagine how your family would react upon hearing that their son had passed due to a foolish knight? I won’t allow that. Your safety is my top priority.” Viktor put his opposite hand on top of Yuuri’s.

“I’ll always keep you safe and alive.”

Yuuri continued to hold Viktor’s hand for a few moments longer before he was pulling away, as if he was suddenly realizing how close they had been. He wasn’t sure why Viktor’s words were affecting him so much, but it was the thought of the alpha dying to keep Yuuri alive that just made him want to hold onto him forever.

Then of course his mind had to remind him why he was here in the first place, and felt embarrassed for admitting as much of his feelings as he did.

“I don’t think you’re foolish, if I were to ever die because you were unable to save me, I would hope that you wouldn’t be executed. I find it amusing how my time here hasn’t been the hell I was expecting. Perhaps it is because I am an omega, and your kingdom recognizes my value to keep me content, but it is quite nice here. I’ve found I have more freedom to do here as I have not been able to do back in my own kingdom… well anyways, I am nearly finished cleaning your wound, and I wish for you to nap once I am done.”

Viktor winced when Yuuri began cleaning a particularly tender and sore spot of his burns. It wasn’t anything like the pain of receiving the injury in the first place, but it didn’t fail to still make him cringe.

“Ah… yes, Kolechia is generally more free than most other kingdoms. Even our prisoners are given a lot of opportunity.” Viktor laughed. “I’m just glad that nobody saw you outside. You probably would’ve been transferred to a more high-security cell where your ability to escape would become nonexistent.”

When Yuuri was finally done with disinfecting and cleaning Viktor’s burnt flesh, the alpha hissed as a bandage was wrapped around his arm, putting pressure on his burns and raw skin.

“Thank you,” Viktor spoke softly, holding his bandaged arm up to inspect it. “I appreciate your insistence to treat my wounds. It’s very kind of you.” Not to mention, it was a very omegan instinct that Yuuri had just complied to.

“A nap? In here?” Viktor asked, motioning toward Yuuri’s nest. He wasn’t sure if Yuuri had meant here or in his own room, which would be less supervised by the omega and Viktor probably couldn’t be forced to sleep in his own room when he’d just go right back out and get into another rowdy fight with a dragon instead.

“There is no need to thank me Viktor, I was simply doing what any good omega would do after putting you in such peril that you injured yourself.” He set the rag on the side of the bucket, before carrying it into his washroom. Then he put the rag on a shelf next to his mirror, and poured the bloody water into the tub to drain.

“Yes. A nest is made for safety and comfort, and to keep alphas from doing stupid things. And I know if I allow you to leave my room that you’ll try to do something idiotic and heroic. There are hundreds of other knights to do that, right now you are to lay down and not move until I have given permission.” He responded from the washroom, before wiping his hands on a towel and then reentering the main part of his room.

“If you wanted, you could also allow Mina to sleep in the blankets with you. Out of obvious reasons, I don’t think I will be joining you, so I think I will be sitting in my chair by the fire until my dinner is brought. I will wake you when I feel you have had adequate rest.” Yuuri gently pat Viktor’s thigh, and leaned down to kiss Mina’s small head before moving around to the other side of the bed to sit in his chair.

“Please just appease my request and rest for a little while, I promise I will not attempt to escape in any way, I’ve learned my lesson that I really should not leave unless I have you accompanying me in the safety of the night.”

“You know me so well,” Viktor replied sarcastically, his voice unwavering. Yuuri was accurate in his assumption, though. Viktor would’ve gone right back out to get into another tousle with a giant creature even after being severely injured.

“But what if something happens? What if I need to go out and protect everyone?” Viktor asked, reluctantly leaning back into the warm nest. He tucked his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

“I know you wouldn’t escape.”

Yuuri definitely knew the consequences of trying to escape now, whether intentionally or not.

The blankets around him smelled really nice.

Mina curled up by his side. Viktor looked down at the tiny reptile when she yawned, her toothless little mouth the least threatening thing he’s ever seen. Viktor closed his eyes and tried to relax into the comforting layers of blankets and scented fabrics. His body was exhausted from the earlier events, but his mind didn’t want to shut off.

Soon he slipped into unconsciousness, his breath evening out.

As he moved into his chair, Yuuri was careful to slightly lift the skirt of his dress as he curled up in the chair, then let go of the fabric, and adjusted it to a more comfortable position on his legs.

Head resting against the back of the chair, while he basked in the heat flowing from the fire, he couldn’t help but watch Viktor sleep.

The alpha looked so peaceful, and the omega in him was so deeply pleased to see how the alpha felt safe and comfortable enough to rest in his nest.

After some time had passed, Yuuri slipped out of the chair, and crossed over to the bed. Grabbing onto one of the blankets that made up part of his nest, he pulled it gently to cover Viktor before gently patting at his head. He then returned to his chair, and curled up once more, but this time closed his eyes so he could have a quick rest while Mina and Viktor slept.


	13. I think you're my next mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri and Viktor come to a shocking silent revelation, talks of Mina's parentage and the discussion of Yuuri's upcoming heat all included in this very lengthy update

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I had it in my drafts but I honestly just kept forgetting

The shift of the blanket being tucked over him woke Viktor just a little. His mind was still asleep, but he felt the blanket over him and the scent of omega filled his nostrils when Yuuri leaned over him. Viktor peeked an eye open, watching as Yuuri curled up in the rocking chair, closing his eyes as if to rest there. He watched the omega for a moment, seeing him get comfortable and as curled up as he could in the chair.

Viktor felt bad. He shouldn’t be sleeping in the nest when Yuuri, an omega, was sleeping in an uncomfortable chair instead.

The alpha slowly got up and placed Mina on the foot of the bed, receiving an uncomfortable little dragon squeak that voiced her displeasure of being moved from her warm spot curled up beside Viktor. He wasn’t too sure what he was doing when he grabbed hold of Yuuri and picked him up out of the chair. He set the omega down on the bed in the nest instead and stood back for a moment.

“You should be sleeping in your nest if you’re tired.”

Yuuri had awoken the moment he had been picked up from his chair. Eyes fluttering open to look at Viktor, it took his a confusing moment to realize what was happening.

“Viktor?” When he was placed on the bed, he moved to sit up, and grabbed onto the alpha’s wrist to keep him from walking away.

“No, I offered my nest up for you to rest in, not so I could sleep. You are the one who fought a dragon today and nearly lost your arm. Why don’t you just lay down in here please. I promise I don’t mind sleeping in the chair. Even Mina wants you to lay here.” At the sound of her name, Mina crawled over to Yuuri, letting out a squeaked whine, rolling herself over and nuzzling into the skirt of Yuuri’s dress.

“You woke her when you moved from the nest, and I think she would like you to lay down and let her steal body warmth from you. Don’t you my little angel.” He cooed, and gently picked her up, cuddling her closely as he kissed her tiny dragon head.

Viktor stood back and examined the situation for a moment. Yuuri looked so comfortable laying on the bed with Mina, curled up in the warm nest. He didn’t want to move him again, back to the chair.

That just seemed cruel.

Without saying anything else, Viktor gently shifted Yuuri over just a bit so he could wedge himself into the nest again with the omega and the tiny little dragon which was now sandwiched between them.

“Is this okay?” Viktor asked softly, his face not too far from Yuuri’s. Although the bed was meant for one person, the three managed to fit. The nest was warm and big enough for both humans and a baby dragon.

Mina looked absolutely content and comfortable. She stretched her little legs out and opened her mouth in a big yawn, cuddling up between the omega and the alpha. Yuuri couldn’t take his eyes off the baby dragon. She looked so cute with her little claws curling and uncurling while she let out a small grumbled purr. He was trying very hard to bit fixate on the fact that Viktor was laying down so close to him. The alpha also seemed a bit hesitant to be so close to Yuuri, this being the both of them were laying on the same bed.

Flicking his eyes up to look up at Viktor, Yuuri for the first time was allowing himself to examine each detail of Viktor’s face. The alpha had freckles that were littered across his nose and across the area under his eyes. His lips also looked quite plump and soft, and Yuuri had to actively keep himself from reaching out to brush his fingers across them. 

Realizing he had been staring for much too long to be a simple gaze, Yuuri’s face reddened from embarrassment, and he averted his gaze back to Mina.

“I really do like this room much better than my older one… Not only is it much more spacious, but it also retains the heat from the fire more efficiently than the old one. The bed is also considerably comfortable, and I am finding I may sleep easier in here.”

When Yuuri’s eyes scanned over his face, Viktor couldn’t help but allow his eyes to do the same. His gaze focused on the omega’s face in response. He noticed Yuuri’s deep brown eyes that somehow looked as if they had flecks of gold in them, his button nose, the permanent blush he seemed to have across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, the dip of his upper lip, his plump bottom lip and his petite chin.

Growing up, Viktor had always heard tales of the most beautiful princes and princesses. They made it seem like being a figure of royalty required an attractive appearance. Looking at Yuuri, Viktor wouldn’t doubt it. Realizing he’d been staring for too long at the same moment Yuuri did, he looked back toward Mina again.

Viktor traced the tip of his index finger up and down Mina’s smooth snout.

“I agree… this room does feel a lot more comfortable than the other one.” Viktor spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. Even if it were strange, he felt comfortable here. Viktor couldn’t remember a time he’d felt more at home.

Things had suddenly gotten quite awkward, and Yuuri found that his thoughts of what to say were quite sparse. Mina didn’t seem to have that problem, the baby dragon looking quite comfortable laying between the two people who she considered being her parents, since she had no memory of anyone other than the two of them.

“So… for the morning, I know that you normally have early training, but I was curious if perhaps you would accompany Mina and I with eating our breakfast. And if you wouldn’t mind, you could also bring Makkachin. I miss him, I know he’s been going through training so that he could better assist you on various hunting exercises, but I would like to see him, and also to introduce him to our Mina.” Turning his gaze back up to Viktor, Yuuri tried to show a nonchalant expression, not wanting Viktor to know exactly how much he wanted to see him in the morning ( _ ~~and also wanted him to sleep in his next for the night, but it seemed like he was already going to get that~~_ )

Viktor listened to Yuuri’s request. It didn’t seem like a bad idea, of course, but training and patrolling usually took up most of his morning time. Maybe he wouldn’t have to this time. His arm still needed time to heal before he could probably even swing his sword. His skin needed to scar over at least.

“Alright. I’ll see if I can excuse myself from training tomorrow morning.” Viktor responded. A smile appeared on his lips when Yuuri brought up Makkachin. He knew how much the Japanese man loved the poodle.

“Why do I get the hint that you’re just wanting to have breakfast with Makkachin?” Viktor laughed, although he knew it wasn’t true. He could tell Yuuri’s request was genuine.

“Honestly, I’m kind of worried about the meeting between Mina and Makkachin. Makka is a hunting dog. I can hold him back, but I don’t want him to scare her.”

“Maybe I do just want to see Makkachin.” Yuuri responded with a cheeky grin, followed by a laugh at how at ease things seemed to slip.

“I’m not that worried… Mina is very docile, and I believe that since she thinks we are her parents, that she knows we would not put her in any harm. So as long as I hold her in my dress she should stay fairly calm.” Hearing her name, the dragon’s eyes flickered open, letting out a coo, and rolled over onto her stomach, before licking Yuuri’s cheek, then turned to Viktor to playfully jump onto his arm, squawking as she pretended to attack him.

“Oh what a vicious creature. So terrifying!” Reaching over to hold onto Mina, Yuuri pulled her into his arms, and let out a happy sigh.

“You know, I never thought I would be a prisoner of war, with a baby dragon I consider as my child. How odd these months have been.”

Viktor laughed as the little dragon pretended to playfully pounce on him. The alpha let out a playful growl at the tiny reptile and snickered when she seemed to falter a bit and allowed herself to be rescued into Yuuri’s arms.

“I wonder how she would react if she could understand that I’ve killed many of her kind,” Viktor said off-handedly. He reached in to pat at her tiny head. “I’m supposed to hate her. But I love her. I guess we really are like her parents.”

Somehow, saying he was Mina’s parent and Yuuri agreeing made a warmth explode in his chest. It seemed good. It was a nice idea, but not much else came of it.

“Just wait until she starts breathing sparks, then grows into breathing fire. She’ll be much more terrifying then.”

Viktor settled back down and leaned his head on his hand.

“I agree. I never thought I’d be quite fond of one of our kingdom’s enemies. I never thought I’d be raising a creature that I’ve killed many times before, either. Life is strange, isn’t it? The unexpected always seems to happen.” Viktor laughed.

“I don’t think she would be too upset if she understood that you hunt dragons. You’re so kind and gentle with her, and you smell like safety to her.” Mina seemed to grow sleepy again, and wiggled out of Yuuri’s arms before crawling over to Viktor and curling up on his arm. The small dragon then yawned, before closing her eyes. Yuuri felt his chest clench with fondness at the sight of how comfortable Mina seemed to be with Viktor. Having the dragon gave Yuuri motivation to get through his day. It made him happy to have something to care for and consume his time, because without her, he would have spent his time in silence.

“Speaking of um, fire and heat… since I do not have a time table available for me to measure the days, I cannot give you the exact date… but, some time within the next several weeks I am due for a heat. I’ve never had a heat outside of Enkyo, so likely it will be a very distressing week, so I would appreciate it if maybe the day it starts a servant could bring me my food for the week so that no conflicting scents upset me.”

Viktor grinned, happy to have Mina cuddled up with him. He patted her back and giggled when she curled her little tail up beside her like a cat would. She searched for comfort from either of her parents who did their best to supply for her, even if neither of them were sure what would happen when Mina was bound to grow into a full-sized dragon.  
He was snapped out of his thoughts when Yuuri posed a very important thought.

“Oh… heats…” Viktor murmured, suddenly becoming slightly uncomfortable. His scent carried a change in attitude, signaling how unsure of himself he was in this topic.

“I don’t know much about those. I wasn’t ever taught. Maybe you should give me a list of all of the things you’ll need, if any? I’ve always just assumed that heats are kind of like ruts… but I know that’s not the case.”

Viktor nodded. He was sure he could get the servants to do just that. Heats were hard to handle, especially in a time where suppressants weren’t yet available, so he didn’t question anything Yuuri revealed.

“When I do make my list, I’m going to need your help. I… I um… I can’t really read that well, and I don’t know how to write, so I won’t be able to make the list by myself.” He felt a bit embarrassed considering that his sister could read and write fluently, but his parents had never seen a reason for Yuuri to know such alpha things considering all he would be doing with his life would be marrying a well-off alpha and providing him with children. But his sister Mari had always secretly helped Yuuri with his studies so he could at least read himself small stories.

“I won’t need very much for my heat though, usually all I need is extra blankets in case my nest gets a bit um… dirty… and food to last me for the duration. In Enkyo I had things to help with my heat, but I don’t feel comfortable asking you for those, I would be quite embarrassed. Also, having another omega servant for when I decide to bathe would also be nice. I’m sure it is the same with an alphas rut that you can get quite um… quite sticky, so I like to bathe once a day when I’m in heat. I don’t expect you to remember this, we can have it all written down in the morning, after we rest.”

“It’s alright, I can help make the list. I forgot that you can’t write.” Viktor said, moving from the bed to get up and find a sheet of blank paper in the desk. He took the quill and ink and a writing slab to place the paper on when he came back over to the bed. “If you don’t mind, we can just compile the list now.” Sitting beside Yuuri, Viktor tilted the list ‘Heat List’.

Viktor wrote down the things Yuuri listed off. Extra blankets, food, ready servants to help Yuuri, daily baths, and…

“Huh?” Viktor, the dense alpha he was, didn’t know what Yuuri was insinuating. Was he supposed to know?

“How am I supposed to find you what you need if you don’t want to tell me?” Viktor asked, setting the quill down. He gave Yuuri a concerned look. “I’m sure whatever it is can’t be that bad. Is it hard to find? Is that why you don’t want to tell me? I assure you, even if it’s hard to find, I have a way with things. I’m sure I could find it for you, whatever it is.”

When Viktor had begun to write down the items Yuuri needed for his heat, Yuuri watched intently, eyes focused on the point where the quill touched the paper. He had always found it entertaining that alphas could write down a scribble of lines, and somehow they all understood what it meant. It also made him wish that he was able read well enough to understand it.

“Oh it’s not that important… I had a few in Enkyo that were helpful, but it isn’t a necessity for my heat, I’ll be able to manage without it.” Cheeks flushing, Yuuri glanced up at Viktor’s face for a quick moment before looking back down at the table.

“They’re just um… don’t play so silly, I know you have knowledge of what I mean. They’re sexual assisting toys. Quite popular for the unmated omega, and I would feel incredibly embarrassed if you were to acquire them for me. Your scent would be on them, and my mind might wander to you while using them.”

Viktor’s face turned to an expression full of surprise when Yuuri elaborated and explained what exactly he had been meaning. Just like Yuuri’s, the alpha’s cheeks heated up as well and left a blush on his face. His eyes were focused on the paper he had been writing on.

“Oh! Um… I… Sorry, I don’t know much of heats. I’m only familiar with ruts, so… items that might help you with yours are… kind of strange to me.” Embarrassed alpha pheromones filled the air around him.

“I think I know where to find some. There’s an apothecary around who might sell some to help with heats… there’s probably a whole section in her storage dedicated to helping with heats and ruts.” Viktor shrugged his shoulders. “But wouldn’t it be embarrassing to ask someone else for them? Since I know what you need, I might as well be the one to get them for you. My scent being on them could even help with your heat.” The alpha wrote down a messy ‘heat toys’ down on the list.

“Okay, and um, for the heat toys, I really like the big ones, and the ones that can simulate an alpha’s knot? She might not have those, because the design is quite fancy, but of she does, then I would prefer those.” Yuuri fidgeted from where he was sitting next to Viktor on the bed, the alpha’s pheromones surrounding the air around him. He subtlety moved himself closer to Viktor, resting his head on his shoulder, pretending as if he was simply tired.

“I guess I would rather you be the one to get them… Your scent is all over my nest anyways, so any other unknown scent is going to just upset the omega in me.” He responded with a yawn, before moving even closer to Viktor.

“I think your scent will be nice to have for my heat, and I appreciate how kind you are by saying you don’t mind your scent being on the toys for my heat, considering I’ll likely be thinking of you. I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, but it is inevitable if your scent is all over the room.”

How they had once been hostile toward each other and now speaking in depth about heats, Viktor didn’t know. But he knew that it was better than the banter they used to once have.

“Huh, who knew you could speak so vulgar,” Viktor teased when Yuuri described the kind of toys he liked most. The alpha wrote the words ‘big’, ‘thick’, and ‘knotted’ under the heat toy bullet on the list. It seemed almost natural to have Yuuri cuddled up by him, almost laying on top of him. Viktor didn’t think much of it. He liked the close presence and the ability to catch Yuuri’s calming omega scent. It didn’t make him feel anything like he shouldn’t be doing this, but in fact, it made him feel warm and he didn’t have the capacity to question his feelings right now.

“It’s alright. If my scent helps you through your heat, then I’m glad to give it to you. I’ve heard that heats can be more exhausting than ruts… speaking of, mine will probably happen sometime after your heat ends. Maybe a bit earlier if I somehow catch your heat scent. Perhaps I should stay away from your room when you’re in heat.”

Yuuri had felt his cheeks heat up once more at the teasing words. He hadn’t meant to be so provocative with his words, Viktor was the one who had inquired to Yuuri about what he needed in depth for his heats, and Yuuri simply had stated his preference in heat toys. With a soft sigh, Yuuri momentarily closed his eyes, head turning to hide his face in Viktor’s shoulder, and not so subtlety took a deep intake of air through his nose of the alpha’s scent.

As much as the omega in him knew Viktor and his scent would be a very calming presence during his heat, it was much safer if they were to remain separated. Yuuri had never been around an alpha when he was in heat, but he had heard stories of how it was alluring to alphas, and incredibly hard for them to resist the temptation of the omega.

“Staying away from my room will be quite hard since our rooms are directly next to one another… Perhaps you could douse a rag in water and cover your nose when you pass my room so you do not feel the temptation to enter? I would feel so embarrassed and terrible if I were to put you into an early rut.”

A pleasant chill shivered down Viktor’s spine when he felt Yuuri take a deep breath of his scent. Whether he recognized it subconsciously or not, it didn’t fail to make him feel more comforted that an omega was enjoying his scent. Whatever this warm feeling was, he didn’t know, but it certainly didn’t feel bad. Viktor had never experienced an omega in heat before. Who knows what it could do to him if he stayed around and caught scent of Yuuri’s heat scent that, apparently, harbored an aphrodisiac-like effect to any alpha.

“Hmm… perhaps I should just try and stay out to patrol more. I’ll try not to be around the castle as much. The only time I’ll come back is when I need to sleep. I’ll let the other guards know that is what I’ll be doing, and I’ll warn all of the alpha staff to stay away from this floor level. We could even lock your door if it would make you feel more safe.” Viktor would certainly feel more safe knowing Yuuri would be shut securely in his room.

“I don’t think you’re aware of this, but only me and the omegan servants have a key to your room. If it would make you feel better, I could lock the door with my key during your heat. I’ll be sure to keep it safe.”

“It’ll be awfully lonely without you visiting me several time a day as you usually do… I also think that maybe you should keep Mina in your room for the duration of my heat. If it is too difficult for you then I’ll just keep her in my washroom.” Yuuri reached up with his left hand to gently grab ahold of Viktor’s shirt. He stayed like that, face hidden in Viktor’s shoulder blades, hand holding onto his shirt for a few moments longer before reluctantly pulling away.

“You know… it is getting quite late, and I’m finding myself quite fatigued. It would probably be for the best if we were to prepare for bed. I need to change into my night clothes, so I’ll be back in a moment.” Standing from the bed, Yuuri’s gaze lingered on Viktor for a moment. His next movements were quite quick and calculated, because within three seconds he planted a gentle kiss to Viktor’s forehead, grabbed his nightdress off the hanger in his wardrobe, and shut himself inside his washroom. It was quite a bold statement for him to make by kissing the alpha, but things were so comfortable and normal between them (plus he had almost witnessed the alpha’s death earlier that day), he couldn’t help but have his affections rise to the surface of his mind.

“Ah, yes, you’re right. It is getting rather late, and —“ Viktor’s train of thought was halted the moment Yuuri got up and kissed his forehead. Before he could ask what in the world the little act of affection was for, the omega was already in the washroom. Viktor was left confused, but with a warm feeling as well.

It seemed…. nice. Calming. The idea of being kissed or kissing in return hadn’t ever crossed his mind. Viktor had always been focused on his knighthood. Worrying about love wasn’t ever on his agenda. He couldn’t deny that he loved Yuuri. What kind of love, he wasn’t able to pinpoint yet. But he knew that whether it be romantic love, friendly love, or brotherly love, it was still love. Viktor was quite fond of the omega he’d been spending ample amounts of time with.

Viktor worried about Yuuri’s fiancé as well. Perhaps was Yuuri just reacting as an omega to an alpha and was seeking comfort? Viktor didn’t know. Before he could worry himself more, he left the room and returned to his own bed for the night, gently shutting the door behind him.


End file.
